


Just When You Think It's Done

by Sarcarai



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-30
Updated: 2015-01-06
Packaged: 2018-03-04 10:24:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3064334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarcarai/pseuds/Sarcarai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Twin, wrong Boy-Who-Lived, alternate dimensions and a bit of time-travel- It's a road well-traveled, but I hope to make the journey a relatively twisty one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Trying to get back into my writing (it's mostly working) and posting my stories from Fanfiction.net to here on AO3. New to the site as an author, reading here has been partially responsible for my sad lack of progress :( But, by the time I'm done getting stuff up over here, I'll have finished my latest chapters of each.  
> Hope new readers enjoy!

Harry Potter had lived a long and full life. Despite the hardships of his life in the initial eighteen years, the remaining hundred and thirteen were spectacular in their normalcy and lack of death-defying adventures. This is not to say that his life proved uninteresting. With a large adoptive family and three mischievous kids who spawned many equally mischievous grandkids and great-grandkids, Harry’s life had plenty of adventure. Add to that his career as an Auror and his apparent inability to lose his permanent “Hero” status, and you have one satisfyingly fulfilling life. The only thing left to do now, he thought, was to die. For death is naught but the next great adventure right?  
Oh, if only he had realized how true those idly spoken words would be, he might have not have been quite so blasé towards his eventual demise. Most stories start at the start of things. This one is different. This one will start with the end, or perhaps, you could consider it the middle. For with the end, came a new beginning, and we are all familiar with the original beginning. Let us spin a tale hopefully worth telling, and you can decide for yourself whether this is the end or the beginning.


	2. From Whence We Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who said Death was permanent?

Harry Potter had spent what felt to be a decade in what he would consider Heaven. As time has no true meaning to the dead, he could not know for sure how long that decade truly was, but time hardly matters when you have forever. What, after all, is a moment in time when you have all of Eternity laid out before you?

But, returning to the matter at hand, Harry Potter would consider this among the best decades he had yet to experience, dead or alive. This simple fact being that he had been joined in After-Life by his wife, Ginevra Potter, his best mates Ron and Hermione Weasley, and had spent the entire decade with his youthfully dead mother and father, and all of his other family who had gone before him. This family included his blood relatives, it is true, but it also included the Weasleys, the Lupins, Sirius Black, Dobby, and Albus Dumbledore. He had discovered, along with his father, Remus and Sirius, that pranking an irate Minerva McGonagall was a delightful pastime when one had nothing but time to pass. It was upon a scene like this that our story truly begins.

“POTTERS, BLACK, LUPIN!” The scream merely caused Ginny and Lily Potter to sigh briefly before returning to their earlier conversation. Hermione, who had decided in the After-Life to try her hand once again at the art of knitting, paused in her concentration only briefly before returning to her Mother-In-Law’s helpful tips. Said Matron Weasley didn’t even bother to stop her flow of conversation, as she readily tuned the scream out.

In Paradise, one returns to their more youthful bodies, most appear somewhere in the range of twenty to early thirties, and Minerva McGonagall was no exception. So while many on Earth would not recognize the Scottish witch as the formidable Headmistress of Hogwarts, the buxom young lady presently chasing after a stag, a wolf, a dog, and, astonishingly enough, a white tiger, was indeed the black haired witch of Gryffindorish ire.

Or, well, she was supposed to have black hair. The fact that it presently grew in long, unnatural spikes of green and silver and gave her the unenviable appearance of a rabid, Slytherin supporting porcupine, obviously did not endear the quartet to the former Head of Gryffindor. And no one needed to guess who were the culprits in this instance. Even the Weasley twins, who had been sappily and memorably reunited in death, were not of such hardy souls as to vex the former Transfiguration Professor. Actually, the idea had probably been both created and instigated by one Harry Potter. Which brings us back full circle.

Crashing through a field in their little corner of Paradise, the four raced madly on, three of them cursing the other for persuading them to such a fool-hardy prank in the first place. There was a sudden flash of bright light and they tumbled unhurt and human to a white room. They were soon joined by several of their friends and family, including the witch they had been attempting to escape. Recognizing this as an important proceeding, she settled for merely glaring at them and tentatively touching her restored hair.

When all were seated along a circle in the blindingly white room, a voice spoke.

 **I have brought you here, on this day, to return a world to peace.** The voice brooked no arguments and no exclamations. **In a world much like your own, an important change was made and an important choice was made that has since led that world and its fate far from its original path. To avoid the pain of billions and to defeat Evil before it has a chance yet to grow, I propose a choice to some of you. In this world of which I speak, Harry Potter was born with a twin, and when Lily and James did not die that fateful night, the wrong twin was declared the victor. Because of this, Harry grew up with far less of his family’s attention than he should have done. It is this wrong that needs to be made right. For if Harry Potter is allowed to be swayed to the side of Evil, then, even as he defeated it in your world, so will he triumph it in theirs. It is my plan and my will to send the Weasley family, Severus Snape, Harry Potter, and Hermione Weasley née Granger to this world on Harry Potter’s eleventh birthday, with the twelve of you becoming the twelve of that world.** Utter silence struck the entire hall.

“Does that- does that mean that the others will die?” Hermione’s face was stricken.

**No, dear child, they shall not die. Your soul is the same; it is merely the circumstances that have played out differently. It will merely be as though your memories were joined with your alternatives and when your life in that world plays to its end once more, more of Paradise will be opened to you as you will know and love more than just your own. And your memories of your world will not be tainted. I will not allow it. When your children of your first world join your loved ones here, you will be waiting for them. Moreover, I will allow your family to keep track of you here, while you are gone. I realize the choice I am asking of you, and I know that you have well-earned your place here in Paradise, but you will come here again, that is for certain.**

Lily’s face was sad as she voiced her thought. “Would I be so bad a mother had I had twins? And if it is James and I who are the problem, why not send back just us?”

**Even the best, my dear, are overwhelmed by such power and fame as were thrust upon your young child. Truly, even had the wrong twin not been chosen, it would be very likely that Harry’s head would have been turned sometime along the way. Let not the choices of another dismay you; this is but one world and one possibility among multitudes. And as to your question of who I am sending back, I simply cannot. The change would be too great when I am unable to send another in the place of Alexander Potter, or the young Acacia Potter. If the circumstances arise, I will consider others to send, but the time is not yet right for them. Do you have your answer?**

Unable to bear the thought of so many lives in the balance, Harry stood and stepped forward, vaguely aware of the other chosen eleven doing the same. With his hand entwined with his wife’s, he hugged his family for a relatively short-term goodbye, and turned resolutely towards the light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as I said the first time around, there'll be no child-loving in this fic. They'll be affectionate and loving, but without the hormones. I'm not a huge fan of eleven year olds getting it on, lol.


	3. It Comes As No Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The more things change, the more they stay the same.

In a world, far away, twelve people gave a sudden gasp, tensing slightly, as the clock struck midnight before returning to sleep, nobody the wiser of the world changing event that had just taken place.

  
Come morning, waking up was disorienting. In the first hazy moments of wakefulness, each struggled to understand two sets of memories, one telling them that they had lived much longer than this moment, and another telling them that this was normal. Harry Potter woke up, not in Godric’s Hollow as he had vaguely expected, but in what his secondary memories identified as Potter Manor. Shaking his head, Harry allowed his memories of his mother and father to soothe the ache in the soul of the original Harry of this world.

  
Looking around his room, Harry could see that it was tastefully decorated in blues and grays, not as large as one might expect in a Manor house, and slightly untidy. Harry immediately knew the reason for all of these things. Blues and grays because he had not been consulted when his room was decided upon and although neither color was his favorite, he supposed he should be grateful that at least his least favorite color (yellow) had not been chosen. On the smallish side because, well, he wasn’t the Boy-Who-Lived, and his parents honestly hadn’t noticed. But when would they? Harry’s memories did not show any instances of his parents visiting him in his room. And untidy, because the few house-elves pressed upon them were given to waiting upon the rest of the family first.

  
Far from feeling resentful, Harry now felt a tiny bit pleased as it would mean that few, if any, would actually notice the change in him. Knowing that the family was planning on doing their Hogwarts shopping today, Harry hopped up and began getting ready. Fully recognizant of the fact that his wardrobe was not as new or full as his brother’s, Harry was at least pleased to note that the clothes had been picked out by him. So they were not cast offs, which was nice. Choosing a green t-shirt and a dark pair of jeans, Harry slipped into his shoes and headed downstairs, marveling momentarily at the fact that he both knew and did not know his way.

  
Harry found the family dining room to be occupied by James and Acacia Potter, and, recalling his preference, sat beside his six year old sister who gave him a bright grin underneath her wavy red hair. As he grinned back, he began piling his plate with food, taking quiet note that all of Alexander’s favorites were in appearance. With a small sigh, he picked out bacon and eggs, considering himself lucky that at least he had not been forced to make the breakfast and that at least it was fulfilling unlike the meals he was likely to receive around this time in his first life.

  
A small finger poked him in the side. He looked to his right and saw Acacia looking at him. He raised an eyebrow questioningly.

  
“I love you,” she said quietly. At some point in her life, she had noticed that Harry did not get the same attention from their parents as she and Alex did, and had made it her mission to ensure that her favorite brother knew that somebody loved him. Unknown to her, it was this love, this almost infinitesimal gesture, that nearly saved Harry Potter without any sort of divine intervention. But, as years go by, even this would have proven not to be enough to halt the tide of pent up bitterness and resentment.

  
James, who had not bothered to lower the Daily Prophet, not even to eat, lowered it almost immediately when Alex and Lily Potter came down the stairs. An air of excitement not previously noted filled the room and James greeted his wife and younger son with a large grin.

  
“So,” he said, folding up the newspaper, “how’s it feel to be eleven?” He winked at Lily who smiled back happily.

  
“It feels awesome!” Alexander was dressed in a light blue button-up shirt and gray trousers. Harry’s nose momentarily wrinkled as he concluded that his room had more appeal to his brother than it did him. “We get our wands today!” His eyes lit up with excitement as he began piling his plate high with his favorite foods. It’s a strange thing, but although Alex was overly spoiled, he at least, did not tend to forget he had a twin. He was simply oblivious to the fact that he was treated differently, better, than his brother. It was, after all, what he had grown up with.

  
Reminded of both her boys, Lily turned a smiling face to Harry. She was somewhat disquieted to notice the less than enthusiastic way he ate his breakfast, and, frowning, began to pile some of the same foods that Alex was digging into onto Harry’s plate. He gave a pained look before touching her wrist lightly.

  
“What,” she said, a little hurt.

  
“Mum,” he sighed, not really knowing how to say it.

  
“Harry doesn’t like those foods, Mum,” Acacia said, her tone indicating that this was old news. Seeing that her brother’s appetite seemed to have diminished, she innocently poked him again. “I love you.”

  
Feeling mysteriously saddened, Lily sat down beside Alex and began to eat. This, perhaps, would be the time to explain how such a change could have occurred, when by all accounts, James and Lily Potter are upstanding people.

  
It’s simple really, but the story is rather detailed. Like in the world we know, there was a prophecy, only in this world, three young boys were possible targets. On the night of Halloween, when the twins were just a few months over a year old, their caretakers for the night had been their mother’s parents when the still traitorous rat broke the Fidelius Charm keeping them safe. Unable to utilize magic, as they were muggles, Lily’s father had managed to get a bullet through the Dark Lord’s chest before he was killed by the Avada Kedavra curse, and Rose Evans had attempted to find the emergency portkey given to them but was caught without it and stood defiantly in the way of the Dark Lord, unwilling to expose her precious grandsons to the wrath of a murderous madman.

  
As impressive and truly moving as this sacrifice was, what no one knew was that Harry Potter, already somewhat advanced compared to his brother, had viewed the demise of his Grandmother and moved in front of his wailing brother, steadfastly staring at Voldemort as the wand rose to shoot off a curse the same color as his eyes.

  
Miraculously, instead of killing Harry, his Avada Kedavra green eyes began to glow before a magical pulse shot out of his body, destroying the body of his attacker. Such a display of magical strength left the boy with barely any of his natural preserves, and exhausted him instead to a level slightly lower than his twin. Feeling the disturbance to their wards, the Potters had rushed home, only to discover a passed out Harry and a fully awake and distressed Alex.

  
When Dumbledore had come and realized what had happened- to some extent- he had made the observation that it seemed that Alex might possibly be the boy of prophecy considering that his magic was of a higher level than his brother’s. But, it was only higher at that moment, although, as we well know, when Albus Dumbledore makes a mistake, he makes it big.

  
Although he made no definite noises in that direction, the media took it and ran, desperately needing somebody to pin their hope on. So, eventually, the Potter family found themselves devoting the majority of their attention to their youngest son, and, whenever that twinge of disquiet awoke in them, it was silenced by the thought that their baby boy would one day have to face the Dark Lord once more, and fight for his life. For Albus Dumbledore had long ago made them aware of the Prophecy and, after the attack, had revealed his belief that Voldemort was not forever gone. So the Potters clung almost desperately to their baby boy.

  
It was with this clinging that they failed to notice that they were alienating their other son, and it was for this reason that the intervention was necessary.

  
After breakfast was over, the Potters got ready to floo to the Leaky Cauldron, the elder Potters ensuring that everybody was wearing the piece of warded jewelry that had the nifty spell work applied that kept people from becoming overly excited at the presence of the Boy-Who-Lived and his family. With that done, James Potter went first, followed by Acacia, Alex, Harry and then Lily.

  
Diagon Alley was just as fantastic as Harry recalled it from his previous life. They made the rounds, acquiring all of the boys’ school things, having them sent on ahead to Potter Manor, and finally, made it to the exciting part of the journey. First, as a birthday gift, the boys were allowed to pick an animal to take to Hogwarts.

  
While Alex headed excitedly towards the cats, Harry found himself wandering hopefully through the owls.

  
An excited hoot was the only warning he had before his shoulder was weighted down with the presence of a snowy white owl.

  
“Well, it seems she wants you and won’t take no for an answer,” the nearby sales clerk said. She shook her head. “She’s beautiful, but I was despairing of finding her an owner. Every time anybody has shown any interest in her, she’s dismissed them with a glare worthy of an iceberg.” She looked at him carefully. “Do you want her?”

  
Harry’s heart seemed near ready to burst as he struggled to affirm this with a steady voice. “Yes, yes ma’am,” he said, his voice cracking slightly. “Yes, I want her.” With slightly shaking hands, he handed forward the money he’d been given to purchase her and an expensive cage and stand as well as the necessary treats.

  
Harry had just finished making the arrangements to send everything to the Manor, when his family appeared, Alex holding a sleek, black kitten in his arms. Acacia immediately skipped over to see the large white owl using her brother as a stand. Her eyes grew wide.

  
“She’s beautiful,” she said, raising her hand. Laughing slightly from his overwhelming happiness, Harry knelt down like he remembered doing for his daughter Lily at that age.  
“Her name’s Hedwig,” he said. He took his sister’s hand and brought it to Hedwig’s feathers. “If you scratch carefully, she’ll love you for life.” Hedwig hooted happily as if in confirmation. She closed her golden eyes in bliss as Acacia delightedly scratched her.

  
“Oh, you’ve named her already?” The delighted clerk was amazed at the connection the boy had with his standoffish owl.

  
“What’s this?” Lily said, looking at the owl. “She’s beautiful, Harry, however did you find her?”

  
Harry managed a smile easily. “It just felt like I’d always known her.” He turned to his brother who had finished making his purchase. “What’ve you got there?” He asked.

  
Alex glowed as he cuddled the kitten closer. He held him out to his brother. Emerald eyes blinked slowly at emerald eyes. “Hey! He already likes you, Harry! Did you know, when cats blink at you, it means they love you?” Alex looked at his brother, smiling. “His name is Salus.” Alex then seemed to see the owl presently at head level with him. His eyes grew wide in much the same manner as Acacia’s. “Whoa, Harry! That’s an awesome owl! What’d you name her?”

  
Harry grinned, shunting off the shock that had come with finding his brother naming his black haired, green eyed cat “Safety” in Latin, and rose gently from his place. Hedwig gave him a disapproving hoot before turning her attention to the younger boy Potter.

  
“Hedwig,” he said. “Want to pet her?”

  
“Um,” Alex said, looking down at Salus in his arms, “I, can I pet her when we get home?” He looked at his brother pleadingly.

  
“Sure,” Harry said easily, “actually,” he turned his head towards Hedwig, “did you want to meet us there?” She hooted once in the affirmative and, upon them reaching the outside, spread her wings and took flight.

  
“Damn, that is a fine owl,” James said, before grimacing at the punch his wife gave him for cursing in front of the children. “I meant, dang, what a fine bird.” He was smacked again for his trouble. “What?! It is a bird!” Lily rolled her eyes and motioned the giggling children forward.

  
Ollivander was as creepy as Harry remembered when they entered the shop. Coming out from who knows where almost as soon as they stepped in the door didn’t really impress Harry this time. It was determined that Alex would go first and so he stepped forward, almost nervously, as Ollivander’s enchanted measuring tape danced around him. After only a few moments of this, Ollivander smiled and brought forth a slender box. Opening it, he held it out to Alex.

  
Gingerly, Alex picked it up. Almost immediately the wand shot forth golden and ruby sparks.

  
“Ah, holly wood, eleven inches, unicorn hair. Very good wand, Mr. Potter.” Thanking him shyly, Alex stepped back as Harry stepped forward.

  
This time, the tape danced for a long time and the same guessing game commenced as the one of his world. Even so, Ollivander was clearly delighted as time went on, and soon brought forth the same box that Harry remembered from before.

  
With steady hands, Harry reached forward and reunited with the wand that, in his world, had saved his life many times. Immediately upon raising it, the wand let out a gold and silver shower as a hauntingly beautiful song sounded.

  
Ignoring his family’s confused and somewhat awed questions, Harry looked at Ollivander. The old man quivered slightly. Ollivander took in Harry’s unsurprised face and raised a hand. His fingers brushed aside Harry’s fringe, showing the lightning scar that no one in this world had ever noticed. Ollivander gasped slightly, before stepping back.

  
“Yes, yes, holly, eleven inches, phoenix feather. A very powerful wand, that, Mr. Potter, yes, I expect great things from you.”


	4. Freedom's Ring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not just any party... it's a BIRTHDAY party ;)

The Potters arrived home, but any questions that they meant to ask the Potter heir were forced out of mind when the house elves besieged Lily and James about the party that night. Caught up in last minute plans, they quite forgot that there was anything interesting about their eldest son. Which, for the moment, was fine with Harry.

Harry escaped to his room to organize his things and to spend a bit of alone time with Hedwig. He wasn’t alone for very long though when his siblings came bursting through the door.

“Harry!” Acacia exclaimed happily, bouncing onto his bed. Alex followed only slightly more sedately, carrying Salus in his arms.

“Hey! Can I pet Hedwig now?” Alex asked. “You can hold Salus if you want to, I know he likes you.”

Harry smiled slightly, grateful despite the circumstances that he was able to get to know the brother and sister that he never had.

“Sure,” he replied. He held out his hands for Salus and motioned his brother to Hedwig’s stand. Gulping slightly, Alex moved to where the majestic bird waited. Hedwig eyed him critically for a moment before ruffling her feathers slightly and hooting, as if to say Well, be on with it. Doing just that, Alex relaxed as his face registered his amazement.

After a few minutes of this, Alex pulled away regretfully.

“I guess I’ve got to go get ready now,” he said mournfully. “Mum wants me wearing my best clothes after I take another shower.”  Acacia sighed happily.

“I’ve got a brand new dress,” she said, eyes brightening. She bounced off of the bed and hugged both of her brothers. “Happy birthday, Harry! Happy birthday, Alex!” Was all she said before she darted out of the room.

Laughing a little, Alex shook his head and accepted Salus from his brother. “Guess I’ll see you at the party then, eh?” Smiling a bit at his brother, he left the room.

Sighing, Harry turned to Hedwig who regarded him steadily.

“Guess you think I should be getting ready, too, eh?” he asked her. She responded with a gentle nip to his finger. “Alright,” he said, laughing, “I’ll get another shower, too.”

After he got out of the shower, he surveyed his wardrobe, noting that none of his nicer clothes were particularly new. Finding a pair of black jeans that he was especially fond of, Harry mended the holes and strengthened the worn denim with a few spells, basically making them comfortable but new. He then dug around until he unearthed a never before worn button-up shirt in bright yellow, and, with a small grimace, permanently changed the color to bright green. Finding the rather stylish black boots that he had been bought but were, sadly, Alex’s size instead of his, he resized them the half-size they were different and, with an almost negligent wave of his wand, performed a useful spell his mother-in-law had taught him that gave new shoes a well-worn feeling.

Feeling rather satisfied with himself and with the fact that he could obviously still perform spells he remembered from before, Harry dressed and found a silver chain that he had never wanted to wear before. Taking it in his hand, he concentrated his wandless magic, an ability strangely easier in this life than it had been even towards the end of his previous life, and he changed it to a thinner, less gaudy chain from which a small silver lightning bolt hung. Pleased with the results, Harry put it around his neck, where it could be seen from the open neck of his shirt, and went downstairs where the party was to be held.

He was just in time, his family already gathered at the large floo where guests would momentarily be arriving. Select people were given access to the Potter wards that night, but apparating, as many would be bringing children, was not really an option. Of course, this was an option for a few. Just as Harry finished coming down the stairs, there was a loud crack and a well dressed man appeared.

“Happy birthday!” Sirius cried dramatically, hugging first Alex and then Harry. Knowing how this story went in another life, you are probably curious as to how the story has changed in this one. Well, the truth of the matter is this: Sirius, caught up in his own life- no matter how entwined it was with the Potters’- simply never noticed that Harry wasn’t taken care of as well as Alex, or even Acacia. Some of this is because he would never suspect such a thing from his dear friends, Lily and James Potter, and the rest of it is because he realized that as the Boy-Who-Lived, Alex needed certain things that Harry didn’t, and Acacia, as the only girl, was bound to be a bit spoilt. He never realized though, how far it had gotten. If he had, this story would have been a very different one.

Harry wasn’t given much time to dwell on this, however, because the floo roared to life. To his great surprise and even greater delight, the Weasleys were coming through, one by one. As each head of bright red appeared, Harry had to fight the grin that threatened to break his face in two. It seemed that his parents had decided to invite well known “light” families so that the boys could interact with children their own age that they could get to know before heading to Hogwarts. As the family of the “Boy-Who-Lived” the Potters, besieged as they were whenever in Wizarding public, had taken to living rather conservatively in so much as who they allowed their children to interact with. Most of the children’s friends had been muggles.

Ron winked at Harry after he’d shaken each Potters hand and Mrs. Weasley appeared to have to do all that she could not to hug Harry. What shocked Harry the most though, was that following after Ginny (who smiled broadly at him), came a girl with a head of bushy brown hair. Shocked speechless, Harry listened as Mr. Weasley, following after the last of the brood, asked if it was alright that they had brought Ginny’s newest friend Hermione Granger with them because her parents had been kind enough to allow her to spend the week with them after they had met and become fast friends in Diagon Alley. Harry noticed that Mr. Weasley did not mention that that meeting had obviously taken place today, and wondered how they had coordinated that.

Other guests were arriving, among them the Longbottoms, the Bones, and a few others that Harry didn’t really care to recognize, and Dumbledore as well. As most of the guests were bound to be only concerned with Alex “Savior” Potter, Harry allowed himself to drift away with the Weasley family. Of course, the older Weasleys had to do a bit of mingling before they could casually drift over to where the youngest of the family were holding court, but a discreet muffliato and a few casual “notice-me-not” spells, and the twelve were finally able to greet each other as they wanted.

“Oh, Harry,” Molly Weasley seemed near tears as she gathered him in a hug. As starved for such affection in this life as he had been in his last, Harry relaxed into the hug and held her just a strongly. In his last life, Molly had convinced him to either call her “Molly” or “Mum Weasley”, and, somewhat uncomfortable calling her by her first name, Harry gladly called her “Mum Weasley”. She pulled back and ran a hand through his hair fondly.

As a tear ran down her cheek, Harry wiped it away and said, “Thanks, Mum Weasley,” making her smile tremulously at him. Hugging and shaking hands with the rest of the Weasley clan, Harry turned to Hermione, who smiled slyly at him with a buck-toothed mouth.

“Now this,” he declared, “I simply have to hear.” Hermione’s eyes brightened.

“You’ll never guess,” she said happily. When Harry just looked at her, she pouted slightly. “Oh, you’re no fun,” she chided gently.Then, seemingly unable to contain her enthusiasm, she held out her wand. “I was able to wandlessly remove the tracking spell Ollivander has to put on them, seeing as I’m in a muggle house I couldn’t do it any other way, and then I cast my Patronus with the message for the family to meet me in Diagon Alley.” Her eyes glowed with happiness that she had managed the spell she’d had so much difficulty with. “From there, it was just a matter of convincing my parents that I absolutely had to go to Diagon Alley today, I swear, I was this close to spelling them,” she gestured with her fingers, “but they finally agreed and the rest, as they say, is history.” She beamed at him.

Harry whistled softly. That was indeed a spectacular feat, even more so considering that she had not known that she would be able to wrangle an invitation to the Potter house that way.

“Well,” Harry said, “I figure you’re all wondering. Alex isn’t really the git I expected him to be. And Acacia is absolutely adorable, kinda like little Lily,” Ginny smiled softly, “and our parents aren’t, like, abusive or anything, they just seem to forget I exist sometimes.” Ron frowned. He’d always worried about being better than his brothers when he was younger, but he’d never felt left out by his parents. It seemed like no matter the universe, his friend was dealt the worst luck. He swung an arm around Harry’s shoulders.

“Well, mate,” he said determinedly, “you’ve got us, and we’re never gonna let you alone.” Harry grinned, touched, even as the twins and the rest affirmed this.

“Wow, Ronniekins,” Harry wasn’t quite able to tell which it was as they both had two ears.

“Looks like you’ve matured after all,” continued the other.

“Only took a century and a half to do it, eh Fred?” George then.

“Too right, George,” returned Fred. They grinned unrepentantly as Ron rolled his eyes at them.

“Ha ha,” he said sarcastically. He faced Harry again. “So, we going after horcruxes again?”

Harry’s eyebrows shot up. Bloody hell, he hadn’t even thought of that yet.

“Well,” he said slowly, “we have to determine whether or not they exist here first.” He frowned, contemplating the easiest way to do that. He didn’t want to wait a month to try Hogwarts, and he knew that neither the ring or the cup were easily obtained, and the locket was simple enough to just check but the diary was at the bloody Malfoys- Harry suddenly froze.

“Oh, damn!” he exclaimed. “Dobby! We’ve got to free Dobby!” As though he had spoken some magical word- and he knew he hadn’t because that hadn’t sounded the least bit like Latin- a sudden pop! alerted the group to a newcomer.

“Master friend Harry Potter, sir!” Dobby exclaimed happily, large ears twitching independently. “You is be freeing Dobby, and Dobby is being so happy to see his friends again!”

To say that the humans of the group were shell-shocked would be an understatement. They were positively floored. One could almost expect them to start oozing to the floor, they were that shocked. Finally asking the question on everybody’s mind, Hermione finally croaked, “How?”

“Oh,” Dobby said, pulling his ears in excitement, “Dobby be hoping yous would ask that question. You sees,” he began, “when Dobby learned of the big meeting that had happened, Dobby wanted to know why he wasn’t invited, and the Big Voice told Dobby, that if Dobby wanted to help his friends so much, then he had merely to hope that one of them would voice the desire to free him, and Dobby would be sent back, his soul free, able to help Harry Potter and all of his friends.” Dobby gazed smilingly at them. “But that is not even being the best part!” Dobby said excitedly. “Dobby, being sent back from the Place of Peace, is knowing how and why all house-elves are enslaved! Dobby is being well and truly free! Which is why,” his voice began to change so that it wasn’t quite so much squeaky as high, “I have been returned to my natural shape. And, since I’ve been reunited with you, I will show you my real form now.” As they watched in astonishment, Dobby grew only a little taller as his skin glowed a prettier green and long verdant hair grew on his head, his two stately pointed ears still showing through. He resembled the pictures of elves that muggles had and his eyes, while unnaturally large, did not bulge from his face. His face was still strangely Dobby but it had changed so that he looked less childlike.

Smiling at them, Dobby began to explain once more, Hermione eagerly soaking up the new knowledge.

“A long time ago, there was a civil war amongst my people. On the one side, elves were given to helping the humans that came to them asking for it, and on the other, the elves made sport of the humans, disdaining and deterring them. At the end of this bloody war, the victors were those who hated humans. As their final blow, they cursed the others to become subservient to humans, saying, if they wanted to help the humans so badly, then they could help them forever. And so the house-elves came to be. It came to pass, centuries later, that the last Royal Prince of the Elven blood fell in love with a mortal, and, given that he knew his fate should he announce it to his world, he chose instead to disappear, closing the portals between his world and this one as he did. The Elven realm still exists, for Elves do not die easily, but they are bitterly regretting their actions, even to this day, for without a Royal, their power is not as powerful as it once was.” Dobby smiled at Harry. “It also came to pass,” he continued, “that the Elven Prince, who was more similar to humans in size and appearance than those not of Royal blood, married his mortal love and produced a single child by her, a girl, whose line continues even now. The Prince had Seer abilities, and knew that his line would produce only girls until the next Elven King could be born, ensured, with his last ounce of magic, that his line could be followed by the floral names each daughter was to be given.”

Even as Hermione and most of the Weasleys gasped, Harry and Ron asked, “Who?!”

With Ginny smacking Ron on the back of the head, Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation. Even Dobby seemed a bit bemused.

“Harry,” Ginny began slowly, “What’s your mother’s name?”

“Lily,” he said, confused.

“And her sister?” Harry’s nose wrinkled. “Petunia,” he said with distaste.

“Right,” Ginny said, “Now, what was our daughter’s name?”

“Lily.” he said again.

“Harry!” Ginny said exasperated. “What was your mother’s mother’s name?” She was tapping one foot agitatedly.

“Er- Rose, wasn’t it?” He considered his memories briefly. “Yeah, Rose.”

Ron’s eyes had widened as they spoke. He suddenly began waving a finger at Harry, his mouth working, before he burst out, “And your grandchildren! Merlin, even your great-grandkids! Lily had a daughter, Rosemary, and Rosemary had a girl she named Camelia!”

Harry narrowed his eyes. Seeing this, Dobby uncharacteristically rolled his.

“You are my lord and Liege,” Dobby spoke slowly; “I can feel it. Your eyes are also a part of your legacy, and, since you did not ever discover your role in our original world, your line continues until one of your descendents discovers it. In the meantime, your girl descendents of that world will continue to be given floral names until a King reunites the worlds.” He shrugged. “Which, considering your denseness, may never happen.” Dobby smiled at the gobsmacked Harry. “Of course, if you manage it in this world, a boy child ought to be managing it in the old world as well. Hopefully, they’re a bit quicker on the uptake.”

Harry felt the need to sit down. He was part elf? He voiced this.

“Oh, no,” Dobby said immediately. “Royal Elven genetics don’t follow as mortals do. You are as much an Elf as your ancestor was, despite the centuries that have passed. Now that the curse has been broken, and you have freed me, your ears will begin to follow in the Elven way. You’ll probably find that you’re a bit swifter and stronger, too, and you’ll always be in fairly decent physical shape. Unless you inform you family, none of them will develop any Elven characteristics. As King, your word is pretty much what is.”

“So if I said you were tall,” Harry suggested casually. Suddenly, Dobby shot up, now six feet tall and lithely muscled. He looked a bit startled and his now more human facial features with his brightly glowing eyes began to look scarily reminiscent to the first time Harry had freed Dobby. His skin was still green though. Harry assumed that he could change that at will though.

“You-” Dobby seemed speechless, shocked again as he heard his now only lightly tenor voice. He swallowed and bowed deeply to Harry. “You do not know it, but you have honored me greatly, my lord, bestowing upon me a rank of high esteem. As you were not aware of it, I will understand if you wish to rescind your favor.” Dobby remained bowed as he spoke.

Surprisingly quick this time, Harry realized that as King, and not merely as Prince, his words held such power over Elven kind, that his favor could be shown by granting them status physically. He realized that it must have been one of his ancestors who had originally cursed the “house” elves, too, and realized also that he had the power to fix it.

Grinning broadly, Harry put his hand on Dobby’s shoulder and raised him up.

“My friend,” he said, “I have given you only what you deserve.” And as he felt a strange tingle run through his body, and he felt suddenly very healthy, he grinned at his still shocked friend.

“No need for SPEW anymore,” he told Hermione, “because as of now, I declare every ‘house’elf free and capable of living their own lives, protected from Wizards wrath.” As he spoke, he felt a powerful ripple, intangible yet real, go through his body and beyond. Suddenly, there was minor chaos as the party was disrupted as previously invisible elves grew visible and grew taller, of a height with men and women. Shocked, the elves began to cry as they looked at each other, suddenly regaining the knowledge that their ancestors had lost. Hugging each other in tearful happiness, they did not notice when a paranoid Moody shot a spell at them that simply rebounded back to him. Harry, noticing this, quickly spoke again.

“No former ‘house’ elf will allow a Wizard to hurt them, but they will not seek to fight. All former ‘house’ elves are to find me discretely and receive my orders specifically.” Harry, noticing Hermione’s sudden look of reproach, told her, “We can’t have elves like Kreacher running around trying to help the Dark Lord.” She immediately looked guilty for doubting him, and asked him silently to forgive her. He smiled at her.

It was time to end their secret meeting, for the party was breaking up under the pressure, and at least Acacia would be wondering where he was. With the promise that he make his way to them sometime that week, the Weasleys left and Harry returned to his room to await the first elf to come to him until his family remembered him.


	5. By Any Other Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a terrible thing, to twist a soul.

As it turned out, Harry was more than a little grateful that none of his family noticed him leave the room. When he entered his room, he discovered, courtesy of his full length mirror, that he had grown both in height and hair, and that his ears, newly pointed, were revealed through shoulder length black hair. Looking at his new haircut, Harry frowned and conjured a hair-tie. He gathered his longer locks into a ponytail similar to the one sported by Bill Weasley and regarded his longer, pointed ears. Noticing that his features were a bit more refined than they had been previously, Harry decided that he rather liked the changes. He wasn’t sure yet, but he rather thought that his body was a bit more defined, too, though not obscenely so considering he was only eleven. Harry smirked suddenly; already a bit taller and healthier considering he had not faced years of malnutrition in his formative years, Harry was now set to be a rather tall, rather powerful man this time around. Just let Ron mock him now. He carefully went about ensuring that nobody who did not know of his status would be able to see his ears. He figured the other changes could be blamed on an unnoticed growth spurt and a hair growing jinx from one of the Weasley twins.

Startled out of his musing by the sudden appearance of elves, Harry turned around to get down to business. As his meetings with the elves went on, he was able to set right the few that, like Winky or Kreacher, had been so malformed by the curse, even in their new states they were not entirely able to throw off the deep set teachings of before. With a few moments of Harry’s time, each elf was able to leave his presence free of any taint from their previous imprisonment.

In the middle of his meeting with one such elf, Harry was startled when the elf disappeared mid-sentence, the reason clear to him when the door opened and his siblings poured in.

“Harry!” Acacia yelled, running over to him quickly. “Did you see?” Her eyes were bright, the same hazel as their father’s and brother’s, and she clutched his shirt in her small hands.

Harry grinned slightly, inwardly amused by the chaos his actions had caused.

“You mean the newly freed elves?” he asked blandly, raising one sleek eyebrow.

“The-” Acacia stopped and stared at him. Her eyebrows gathered together and her lips pursed as she looked him slowly up and down. “You got bigger.” She accused.

“Mate,” Alex said admiringly, “how’d you get your hair like that?”

“One of the Weasley twins was showing me a bit of magic and I decided to leave it because I kinda like it.” Harry said nonchalantly. “So, what’s up with the elves downstairs? They leave?”

“What?” Alex asked absentmindedly, still studying his brother’s locks.

“The elves.” Harry repeated.

“Oh, yeah,” Alex said, comprehension dawning. “Yeah, they pretty much poofed away as soon as Mad Eye started chucking curses at them. Mum and Dad are downstairs with Mad Eye and Dumbledore, and Uncle Sirius is securing the perimeter with the Longbottoms. Their kid, Neville, got sent through the Floo to his Grandmother. Apparently, they don’t have house-elves so they don’t believe there’s any danger on that front. Shame, that,” Alex said wistfully. “I was having a good chat with Neville when all the fuss started.” Switching subjects, Alex pulled faintly on one of his own gleaming black locks. “You think that look would work for me?” he asked Harry seriously. An odd note on the Potter twins, while Alex’s hair was by no means perfectly straight, it failed to have that windblown, I’ve-just-been-shagged-and-it-was-great look that Harry’s always seemed to maintain. His was merely wavy. Of course, at eleven, nobody was associating the shagged look with Harry just yet, but, we all know, it’s just a matter of a few years. It’s likely that Ginny will be getting her Bat Bogey on in due time, but that’s neither here nor there at the moment.

Harry shook his head faintly. “I dunno,” he said truthfully, “why don’t you ask Mum to grow your hair in the morning and you can see?”

Alex’s eyes brightened. “Yeah,” he said excitedly, “I forgot about that!” He smiled at his brother. “Thanks, Harry!”

Any further discussion was halted by voices calling Alex’s name. As the tone of the voices grew more panicked, Harry heard a voice that sounded rather like Dumbledore’s and his door was opened again.

“Alex!” Lily flew into the room and gathered the boy into her arms, James heading in after her. They were followed less quickly by Dumbledore and Sirius.

After a few half-hearted struggles from Alex, he was released, red-faced, from his parent’s arms. Even as James swung Acacia up into her arms, Dumbledore spoke to Alex.

“I’m glad you’re alright, young man.” His eyes twinkled down at Alex.

Alex’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Of course I’m alright,” he said uncertainly. “Why wouldn’t I be alright?” This made Lily sob slightly as she pulled him back to her again. “Mum!” He attempted to protest.

“Ah, I’m afraid, young Alex, that there are those who wish, as the Boy-Who-Lived, to harm you.” Dumbledore’s face was grave. “And as we do not understand the happenings of the night, we sought first to ensure your safety.”

“Harry said they’d been freed,” Acacia piped up. She frowned as she stared at the old Headmaster. “Why weren’t they free before?” She demanded, her childish sense of right and wrong piqued.

Suddenly, Harry was the center of attention. As he wasn’t accustomed to such in this life, he reacted much the way he had when he was young the first time. He shuffled slightly and flattened his hair across his forehead, unknowingly attempting to hide the scar that no one here had ever noticed.

“Er-” Harry didn’t quite know what to say and he was silently cursing himself for mentioning anything around the others.

James moved to crouch before him, hazel eyes stern.

“Harry,” he said, voice commanding. “What do you know?”

Displeased by how his father seemed almost accusing, Harry’s eyes narrowed somewhat. He quickly fabricated a story.

“I was near an elf when it happened.” He shrugged, allowing them to think that it was no big deal. “The elf seemed just as shocked as anyone and so I asked him what had happened.” He adapted a tone of voice that implied that this was the obvious thing to do.

“If you please,” Dumbledore’s eyes were intent, “what did the elf tell you?”

Harry smiled, playing the part of a normal eleven year old. “He said that the Elven King had come into his inheritance and freed all of the elves from the curse his ancestor had placed on them for daring to help humans. He said, he said-” Harry frowned as though he were struggling to remember. His face cleared miraculously as he grinned in triumph. “He said that every elf was free now, no longer enslaved by wizards and that they were free to live their lives provided they did not try to harm anyone else save for self defense. He said that they were granted their ancestral forms and only the King has the power to force them to do anything now.” Harry allowed his face to show a bit of his awe; the adults took it to be childish enthusiasm. “He said that the way between the realms could be opened now, that elves would be a part of the world again. Only this time, they won’t be antagonistic towards humans.”

James growled suddenly and took Harry by the shoulders.

“How do you know that he wasn’t lying?” He shook Harry. “If they have no ill intent, then why didn’t they tell one of us?”

Harry wrenched himself out of his father’s tightening grasp with a move he’d learned as an Auror-in-Training and moved quickly backwards, out of the way. Part of him sad, part of him angry, Harry barely managed not to sneer.

“Why would they lie? What could they possibly gain?” he asked.

“Alex!” his father screamed. “They could be dark creatures, wanting to hurt Alex!”

Harry growled, suddenly vastly irritated with his living father. He called Dobby to him, sharp sound and sudden gasps alerting him to the fact that Dobby had appeared.

Seeing his father’s wand move, Harry flung himself in front of Dobby, even as the elf stood silent.

“Harry,” James said tightly, “move.”

“No,” Harry said. “You wanted to know why they hadn’t spoken to you but if your first instinct was to curse them then I don’t blame them for beating it. Why don’t you try asking him some questions instead of treating him like a criminal?” Harry’s emerald eyes blazed as he stared up at his father.

Dumbledore laid a gentle hand on James’s shoulder.

“I think the boy is right,” he said calmly. “Mad Eye did react in his usual manner, and, if what the boy was told is true, then I believe we have nothing to fear from our most unusual guest.” He smiled encouragingly at Dobby as he stepped forward. “Would you mind terribly taking a bit of Veritaserum? Just to ease our troubled minds?”

Grateful that he had chosen to call Dobby, who knew not to reveal Harry’s secrets and why, Harry moved to a position where he could watch the proceedings. Lily pulled Acacia behind her and James and Sirius moved in front of both them and Alex. Knowing that the truth serum couldn’t overcome the power of the King’s orders, Harry watched as the potion was taken and the questions began.

“May I inquire as to your name?” Dumbledore started gently.

“I once was known as Dobby,” the elf began. Harry started slightly, wondering what this meant. Dobby continued, “But once freed, I discovered my full name. I cannot tell you that.”

Dumbledore frowned. “What do you mean you can’t tell me? Does the Veritaserum not work on you?”

“It does,” Dobby conceded, “I cannot lie, and if you ask a question that I cannot answer, I feel compelled to tell you so. Therefore, you will know that all I speak is the truth, and you will know when I am unable to answer freely.”

Dumbledore was frowning slightly, but continued.

“Were you a house elf?”

“Yes.”

“To which family did you belong?”

A touch of displeasure crossed Dobby’s face.

“The Malfoy’s,” he answered. Sirius and James hissed and gripped their wands a bit tighter.

Dumbledore thought for a moment before beginning again.

“How do you feel about your former masters?”

“I hate them.”

Surprise showed on Dumbledore’s face at the adamant answer.

“You hate them? Why?”

“Because they would hurt my King, given the chance, and I won’t allow that.”

“Why would they want to hurt your King?” Dumbledore asked, a tinge of hope rising in him.

“Because my King stands steadfast against the Dark Lord, and my King will, will,” Dobby struggled for a moment before continuing, “I’m sorry, I am unable to say why beyond that.”

Dumbledore’s mind was racing. It seemed to him as though the elf had been about to say that his King would defeat the Dark Lord, and yet, the prophecy stated that one of three boys would be match for Voldemort. He asked yet another question, his calm appearance belying the emotional turmoil within.  
“This may sound strange,” Dumbledore began, “but is your King Alex Potter, by any chance?”

The reaction was immediate. Lily gasped and James’ and Sirius’s jaws dropped. Before they could make any exclamations though, Dumbledore gestured sharply at them and waited for the answer.

To their surprise, Dobby’s face was a strange mixture of amusement, anger, and, strangest of all, sadness.

“No,” Dobby said decisively. “Alex Potter is not my King. And do not ask, because my King does not wish yet to be known.”

Dumbledore was disappointed, he could admit that, but he ignored the disappointment in favor of continuing the questioning even though he was fairly certain that the elves were harmless.

“Given that you have told us the truth so far, all I ask now is this: can you guarantee that the elves will never side with Voldemort?”

“Yes,” Dobby smiled, “my King is quite opposed to the so called Dark ‘Lord’ and, as his word is law, none of us can side with the Dark. He was quite quick to make sure of that in fact.”

Dumbledore sighed. He was left with strange information and mere mystery, mystery that he had the unsettling feeling would be very important although he as yet knew not how.

“Thank you,” he said gravely, inclining his head to the former house elf. “You have answered our questions most generously and I apologize for the necessity of the matter.” He handed the serum’s antidote to Dobby directly, indicative of his trust. He thought of one other matter, this one troubling for an entirely different reason. “Ah,” he said, “You may be aware of this, but I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I take it that I can expect to have to find suitable replacements for the former house elves housed there?”

Dobby looked at Dumbledore with a speculative look in his eye.

“I think,” he began slowly, avoiding glancing at Harry, “that if you allow me to take this matter to my King, I can get his permission to allow other elves to be hired once more by Hogwarts. After all, our magic is quite unique and I know that Hogwarts has long been a refuge for my enslaved brothers and sisters and we elves do not forget a kindness.” He looked at Dumbledore with a slight smile. “Allow me a day in which to converse with my King and, should he allow it, my fellow elves. With any luck, Hogwarts shall be functioning normally by the day after tomorrow.”

Dumbledore sighed in relief. His twinkle restored full force as he regarded the creature in front of him. Truly, this most unexpected turn of events was proving positive on all notes, and it was ever his delight to see the persecuted vindicated. He thanked Dobby and took his leave, taking with him the elf’s permission to clue the Wizarding World in on the night’s events. By tomorrow morning, everyone would know that the strange occurrences were not malicious in nature, and well, the only ones not pleased would be those he had no notion of pleasing anyways. All in all, Dumbledore concluded, a most satisfying change in circumstances.

With Dumbledore gone, and the rest shocked yet assured of their safety, the Potter house settled down for the night. …well, make that most of the Potter house.

Harry, discovering that he was still quite awake, finished his initial contact with the rest of the elves and was in the middle of contemplating whether or not the Weasleys were still awake, when he felt a strange pull from a voice that seemed to be coming from the end of a long tunnel, fading in and out with an ethereal quality.

_Harry… Harry!.. Harry James.. Potter! Can you hear me?!... HARRY!_

Startled by the sudden clarity of his name, Harry reacted on instinct, finding himself moving through space and time to settle with startling calmness in what he recognized as the kitchen of The Burrow.

Harry reacted for a moment by whipping his head back and forth, an absolutely hilarious look of shock adorning his features, before he registered the delighted chortling of one Hermione Granger. His eyes narrowed at the bushy-haired brunette even as he noticed the others struggling to contain their amusement.

“I know I didn’t just apparate,” he said dryly, “mind telling me what just happened, since you seem so amused?” He raised one eyebrow.

“You- hahahaha,” Hermione broke off laughing, “You- ha ha, you’re the King of,” more obnoxious giggles, “King of- King of house elves!” She managed to get out before succumbing fully to her laughter.

Harry was confused. Not that he wasn’t confused often enough, in this one case he failed to understand exactly how it was that Hermione- SPEW House Elf avenger Hermione- was somehow amused by the fact that he ruled the elves that were formerly so degraded.

Fearing for his friend’s sanity, Harry spoke slowly and hesitantly. “Yes?” He asked, looking at her strangely. Hermione giggled a bit more before attempting to calm herself enough to speak. By the look of it, none of the Weasleys were planning on intervening. Apparently this was just too amusing for them to watch.

“You,” her voice cracked and she breathed out, trying hard not to laugh. “You are” careful enunciation now, “the King,” she spoke slowly, “of the House elves.” She breathed out again, working on her amusement. Her mouth quirked as she tried to keep a straight face. “What happens when you call a specific house elf, Harry?”

“They come to-” his eyes widened as he realized why everyone was laughing. He pointed an accusing finger at Hermione. “You!” he exclaimed, pure shock in his voice. He whirled on Ron when he heard him snort. “You let her!” Indignant betrayal only served to further amuse the family, although he noticed with a bit of satisfaction that Ron seemed to be eyeing his finger with some wariness.

“It was Dobbin’s fault,” Ron blurted, seeing the look Harry had been giving him. The red head pointed directly to Harry’s left. “His fault,” he said adamantly, “all his.” Ron reconsidered that statement for a moment before amending with a slight shrug, “and maybe Hermione’s, too,” he said, “just a little.”

Something Ron said gave Harry pause though. Looking to his left, Harry’s right eyebrow rose as he connected the dots in a manner which would have made Hermione proud.

“Your name is Dobbin?” Harry asked ‘Dobby’ incredulously.

The aforementioned elf mimicked Harry’s eyebrow before nodding.

“And Winky’s name is rightfully Periwinkle, any others and you will have to ask them yourself. Peri’s the only other that I know you used to know. I’ve no idea what Kreacher’s name could possibly be, his elfin name was so terribly distorted.” Dobbin looked vaguely repulsed.

Hermione appeared greatly curious.

“Distorted?” She asked with keen interest. “How do you mean?”

Since Dobbin looked to Harry first for permission, Harry said, “By all means, please. I’d rather like to know myself.” And so the elf began yet another short lesson on Elves.

  
“We Elves do not give our names lightly, normally preferring to give some derivative of our name to those we do not altogether trust, but to strip an elf of their name is a horrendous thing. Thusly, when our ancestors were first cursed, it was a sign of our enslavement that our true names were distorted, and hidden from even us. I’ve not given any of you my true name in its entirety; I’m afraid that’s something that will take time for me to relinquish to any.” Here Dobbin looked at Harry with sincere apology in his eyes, but Harry could certainly understand that fear and nodded. “The same holds true for Peri, but, as you may have noticed, both my and her ‘house’ elf names were greatly similar to our true ones.” Dobbin’s face grew grave and he sighed deeply. “The same cannot be said for the one called ‘Kreacher’,” he continued heavily. “The Blacks hold over their ‘house’ elves was such that, in time, they were able to begin the twisting of their souls to the point that their names were even more obscured from them.”

“Souls?” Ron choked, greatly alarmed considering the only other bit of soul magic (aside from coming to this world, that is) that he had ever really encountered was that of Voldemort’s horcruxes. And that had not been at all a pleasant experience.

Truthfully, Harry was just as concerned, especially when he reviewed in his mind the elves that he had met with. He had been sure that he had met with them all, but, he could not place Kreacher as any of them. His eyes narrowed, all of his thoughts coming to a single conclusion.

“It seems that we’re going to be starting our Horcrux Hunt a bit earlier than anticipated,” he said grimly. Seeing their slight looks of enquiry he expounded upon his thoughts. Looking at Arthur and Molly and the oldest Weasley brothers, Harry said, “It can’t be just me and Ron and Hermione this time. The world sees us as just children, and while our magic is exceptionally developed for our age, our bodies are still maturing so we probably shouldn’t go around doing everything by ourselves anyways.” He looked at his best friends and at his future (and past?) wife. “We need to lay out the plan for the entire war, try to anticipate as many of the possible changes that could be affected and strategize accordingly.” In the tiny kitchen of an old, ramshackle house in the country, surrounded by his friends and family, Harry Potter, King of Elves and overall good guy and Hero, declared war on the one called Voldemort and his blood purist army. With blazing eyes and certain heart, Harry gazed at the people who comprised his first real family. "We're going to ensure that Voldemort and his followers never gain so much as a political foothold here in this world. And we’re going to start now."


	6. Neither Forgotten, Nor Left Behind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all Ancient History, right?

Despite the knowledge that this had been pretty much exactly what they had been planning to do, Harry’s words incited new fire in all of their hearts and they set to the task with increasing vigor. First things first though, Harry decided that they really should bring Snape into the meeting and then- well then it would be time to make rather specific enquiries of the house elf called “Kreacher”.

“Soo…” Ron drawled. “Exactly where is Snape anyhow? I mean, he doesn’t live year-round at Hogwarts, does he?”

Molly frowned. “No, I seem to recall him mentioning a ‘Spinner’s End’, but I know Professor Dumbledore frequently calls him to Hogwarts, so there’s no telling where he’s off to at this moment.”

Bill cocked his head thoughtfully as he traced a finger down his ever-present fang earring. “I don’t suppose it really matters though, does it? Harry’s King of the Elves and capable of moving through the wards of Hogwarts and, most likely, all wards. The Elven wards are the ones upon which the Goblins base their security, but even they speak in whispers when Elves are mentioned. No matter where Snape may have taken himself off, too, Harry will be able to reach him.”

“Yes,” Hermione put in impatiently, “but even the House Elves have always needed a reference point- haven’t they?” They turned as one towards Dobbin.

He raised one brow. “You do realize that I found Harry in his second year without knowing where he resided and through blood wards, right?” As their eyes narrowed, he sighed. “As King, Harry’s powers are surely greater than my own, so he would be fully within his abilities to apparate directly to Snape without knowing where he was.”

“Or,” came a silky voice behind them, “somebody could realize that a being of logical thought would find it logical to visit the place of residence of those he knew he needed to meet. Logically speaking, of course.”

“Snape!”

“Severus!”

“Professor!” The cries came simultaneously.

“Bloody hell, never thought I’d be so excited to see you!” This last of course, from Ron.

“Language, Ronald!” Surprisingly, it was Molly who said this and not Hermione, although she looked amused.

Ron raised his eyebrows. “I love you, Mum, but you do realize I’m well over a hundred, right? Well past the point of being scolded for a ‘Bloody hell’.”

Molly looked slightly abashed. “I know, dear, it’s just, what with all of these memories of the other you and you just look so young, well- a Mother forgets, or rather, doesn’t forget. Sorry, sweetheart, I’ll try not to smother you in private, but I will have to keep it up in front of outsiders. Can’t have them guessing we’re all dead and from another world, can we?” Ron nodded in acquiescence, fully comprehending the wisdom of her words, but still glad that they’d settled the fact that none of them were children despite the bodies and the new memories.

Harry didn’t allow any of this to distract him as a horrible thought had occurred to him. “Ah, Severus, lovely to see you, as always, of course-”

“Of course,” Snape said, mouth twitching slightly as though to smile before he repelled the action, “It’s always been a rather particular pleasure for me to see the spawn of Sata- ah, James Potter. Simply makes my day all the brighter, let me be the first to assure you.” Harry struggled with his own mouth for a second before continuing.

“Yes, be that as it may, but I just realized, without my Mum dying in this world, why aren’t you still a Death Eater?” Harry’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as he studied the man before him as though to catalogue his appearance, “Or did you have to escape Azkaban? Because I have to say, we were all rather assuming you would still be a spy and working at Hogwarts.”

Snape rolled his eyes. “Really, Potter, did not a one of you consider that before we left?” He raised an eyebrow as he took in the sheepish looks on the others’ faces. “I see. In any case, to answer your question, Potter, no, I did not find it necessary to escape Azkaban. This version did the same as I and became a spy for Dumbledore as soon as the Dark Lord decided to target the Potters. Of course, the fact that they all survived changed a few dynamics, but since I, at least, have since come to terms with the way things are, you can be assured that I plan to take full advantage of this new life aside from taking down the Dark Lord. Which means I shan’t be pining after your mother anymore, Potter, no need to worry.”

“I wasn’t worried,” Harry said defensively, “I just know that would be painful for you. Also, I was concerned that without my parents dying here as they did before, circumstance might have changed you, making it difficult for you to do your part in our plan.”

“Ah,” Snape retaliated dryly, “a Potter that thinks, imagine that.”

Before Harry could respond, Hermione broke in, broad grin unhidden, “So what we can surmise from this lovely little conversation is that you, Professor Snape, are still a professor and can still perform your role without suspicion, and that we, the rest of us, are complete dunderheads?”

Snape appraised her with an approving eye.

“Precisely,” he said succinctly.

“Well, so long as that’s settled,” Harry said blandly, “I suppose it’s time to move on to the next bit on our agenda.” With a grim visage, Harry continued. “I need to call Kreacher to me. And if he’s so bent out of shape that he was able to resist the initial call, I don’t know what may happen.”

“My Lord,” Dobbin stepped forward timidly, “Perhaps a shield of some kind would be wise. While he cannot hurt you- fatally- he has no such limitation where your friends are concerned.”

Harry’s eyebrow rose in alarm and he gestured sharply with both hands. No sooner had he done so than a glitteringly incandescent bubble rose around him.

“Will this work, you think?” His voice strangely undistorted.

Dobbin’s forehead furrowed as he turned his hand against the shield. His face suddenly shone with sweat and he lowered his hand. “Aye, milord, it seems well enough.”

Nodding his head grimly, Harry concentrated inward. A tense moment later, a dirty, rag covered form cowered on the floor in front of him.

“Noo, no,” the figure moaned, “blood-traitors and thieves. No, can’t. I mustn’t. Mistress would be so betrayed. Please no, it hurts. No, no, no, no.”

Alarmed, Harry glanced through the bubble before bending down to gently pull Kreacher’s hands from his face. Looking at the grotesque, tear-stricken face, Harry spoke.

“Kreacher, look at me.” Kreacher made a sound of agonized protest. “Kreacher,” Harry’s voice was commanding. “Look. At. Me.”

Slowly, Kreacher lifted his face and opened his bulbous eyes. Upon making contact with Harry’s brilliant green eyes, Kreacher gasped and began to cry in earnest.

“Nooo, milord, I can’t. Please don’t make me. Please, I can’t, it hurts.” Hermione looked especially distraught at the obvious distress of the creature.

“What hurts you so, Kreacher?” Harry asked gently.

“Inside.” Kreacher gasped. “My head. My heart. It hurts!” The last word ended in a cry of pain.

“Because you want to obey me, but you also want to obey your Master?”

“Yesss,” Kreacher hissed. “It burns, milord.”

Harry’s eyes began to glow with an unearthly light. Raising to his full height, he seemed to discard the final mask of humanity as he filled out and his features sharpened to an otherworldly beauty.

“Kreacher,” he spoke, his voice now much deeper than his childlike form could produce, “you will listen to your King. You will abide by my rule and you will cast off the chains of Wizarding blood that were put upon you. You will free your mind of their evil prejudice and take up the pride of our race. Leave behind that which distorts you and be free. Do you hear me, Kreacher?” As he spoke, Harry had placed one hand firmly over Kreacher’s heart, forcing the house elf to stand. Where his hand lay, Kreacher grasped tightly and a small look of hope crossed Kreacher’s face.

“I hear, O King.”

“Then let it be done.” With those words a force of energy pulsed through Harry’s form and into Kreacher’s. A myriad of emotions crossed both of their faces as one. Pain, confusion, anger, and at last, elation. When the moment ended, they parted, Harry to wave down the containment field, and Kreacher to prostrate himself at Harry’s feet.

“Oh, good Master, great King,” he sobbed, “you freed my soul from the bonds they placed on me. I have a name, milord, a True Name. Thank you, majesty, thank you!”

Harry looked extremely tired as he returned to his childish form. With Dobbin’s help, he managed to get the newly named elf into a chair before he, himself, collapsed into one.

Watching all of this with raised brows, Severus managed the question on everyone’s mind.

“What on earth was that?”

Dobbin, given a unique perspective due to being the King’s main advisor and therefore given a closer bond than all other elves, shared the answer, though his face remained awed.

“Being an old soul, His Majesty was able to become his adult self for a moment. Long enough to pull all his power to the task of cleaning Kreacher’s soul.” Dobbin was amazed. He lifted his gaze to that of the dark eyed wizard. “He broke through the combined power of generations of Black magic.” He turned his awed eyes back to Harry and slowly knelt before him. “I have always known how great you were, my King, but I had underestimated how utterly kind.” Bowing low over Harry’s hand, Dobbin continued, “No matter where you go, or what you do, regardless of the power you hold over me naturally, I will follow with a free heart, and a will completely my own. For I have seen how far you will go to save one of our own and I vow to do the same for you, however you might require it. This my King, is my official Vow of Loyalty, and with it, I offer you my True Name: Dobynel Lanin du Fahla. I have given my Vow, and told my Name before witnesses, let no one here disbelieve or betray me. So mote it be.”

As soon as Dobbin finished speaking, a glittering burst of light filled the room. When the light left, Dobbin was standing tall. His plain clothes had been replaced, he now wore an armor that seemed to have absorbed the light in such a way that it could yet be looked upon without blinding the gazer. Burnished upon his shield was a dragon of emerald green unfurling its mighty wings as it gave a great roar of triumph and challenge. Along the edges of the shield ran its length of fire, a fire so realistically portrayed that it seemed almost to give off heat.

Harry, weary still, ran a finger along the shield, his face now amazed.

“Wow.” The burst came from Ron. He looked similar to the time he did when Harry first kissed Ginny in the Common Room, which, to be fair, most everybody in the room did as well. “That was bloody awesome.” Then- “What the hell happened?”

At this last, Hermione recovered enough to roll her eyes at her erstwhile husband before saying, “Yes, that was quite amazing. Could somebody tell us exactly what’s just happened though? I don’t think I've really followed exactly…”

“Amazing is right,” Severus spoke dryly, seemingly also having recovered. “If Granger doesn't know, then surely the world is at its end.”

“Oooh, clever,” Hermione returned caustically. “I don’t see you rushing to correct me, though.”

“Professor Snape?” Ginny interrupted the two rather nonchalantly.

“Yes?” he asked, one eyebrow raised as he glanced to the youngest Weasley.

“Do you really think it wise to insult the sister-in-law of the legendary King of Elves?” she asked sweetly, still paying casual attention to her nails. “Especially as he stands watching?”

Indeed, Harry had risen from his seat and watched, green eyes grave as he considered the scene before him.

Snape turned towards him.

“You’re the King of Elves?” His forehead was furrowed. He had been following the conversation since he arrived, and had known he must be missing a vital piece of information. Having been a spy for a long time, however, it was a habit still instilled in him to not let on when one is confused and to merely wait for the pieces to fall together. Unfortunately, the ensuing scenes had not particularly helped him. Now, it seemed, he was to get his answer.

“Yes, Professor,” Harry answered. “It would seem that I am the King of Elves. The only humans to know are present in this room.” Implicit in the phrasing was that it would remain that way. As Harry admitted to his heritage, however, the glamour that protected him from those that did not have his permission to know fell from Snape’s eyes and he gave an uncharacteristic gasp.

“You?” Snape’s voice failed him.

Harry grinned wryly. “Severus Snape speechless? The world must surely be at its end.”

Snape gave a rare, genuine smile. “That it must be, Potter, that it must be.” He turned to Hermione and bowed slightly. “Forgive my harsh words, milady, it is no longer my desire to humiliate you or any others in this room. It is, however, difficult to change the habits of a lifetime.” His smile was slightly bitter. “Some habits must be changed, though, if one wishes to live, and not merely go through the motions.”

Hermione smiled, buck teeth and all. “I understand, Professor. For what it’s worth, you have my respect.”

Snape’s brow rose in surprise. “That, I am somewhat surprised to find, is rather gratifying to hear. I will do my utmost to make sure it stays that way. In truth,” he said, glancing around the room, “I have a certain amount of respect for everyone in this room as well.” Looking at Ron and the Twins, he modified his statement with a faint smile, “Some more than others of course.”

Ron scowled as Hermione giggled.

“’snot that funny,” he muttered. “Snarky bastard. Bet I could beat him at chess.” He crossed his arms with a mild, “Hmph.”

“Well,” Harry said, “as long as we’re all getting along.” He smiled. “I believe we were getting to some explanations? Seems tonight has been full of them.”

“Aye,” Bill agreed, “it’s been a night of revelations and quite shocking ones, too, I might add.”

Harry nodded. “Kreacher,” he said, “would you tell me your name? Not your True one, I mean, but the one you are now known by?”

The elf formerly named “Kreacher” looked to Harry in a manner eerily reminiscent to that of a ‘house’ elf Dobby.

“Yes, King, I will tell you. I am the elf Raizek and I am ever in your debt.” He bowed again.

“Now, now, none of that,” Harry said, embarrassed. “Unless we’re in some sort of formal setting, which I doubt will happen for a while, there’s no need bow or ‘Majesty’ me.” He pulled Raizek to his feet and looked him in the eyes. “I’m Harry, just Harry.” He said earnestly. “So long as you don’t help the dark or hinder the light, your life is your own. Understand?”

Raizek looked at him in wonder. “You truly mean it, don’t you?” He turned to Dobbin. “He has no idea, does he?” At Dobbin’s shake he turned again to Harry. “You saved me. You took my pain into yourself. And I know how much that hurt; I felt it, too, to a slight degree. To be so kind, so forgiving- I saw what the other me did- you are truly a great King. For that, I will never mind being in your service. Service to wizards was a prison. Service to you- that’s freedom. I am ever thankful to you- Harry Potter.” He bowed once more before rising with a grin on his face. “I know of your quest, milord, it is my greatest wish to help you.”

“Really?” Harry was surprised. “You know where the locket is?"

“I do indeed, mi- Harry. And I would like to be given permission to hunt out the wraith that calls himself the ‘Dark Lord’. I feel that you will have you hands full trying to manage the Elven realm and find the soul pieces, without having to worry about his whereabouts.”

“Harry,” Dobbin put in, his face thoughtful, “I believe this is a good plan. My Vow and your acceptance has given me the status of being your Champion; therefore I am not capable of leaving your side for long periods of time. Moreover, Raizek has information no other elf will. Aside from us two, of course.”

“My Champion?”

“Yes. In the rare case that somebody challenges you and you have neither the time nor inclination to deal with them, it would be my pleasure.” Dobbin’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Of course, it also gives me the right to advise you in an official setting. It should surely tweak the noses of the old Nobility when you reveal yourself to the Realm. I’m sure they would have liked the chance to attempt their manipulations on you, just as they once did on your ancestor.” He continued blandly, “considering slavery vastly shortened the lives of many of our kind, it is almost certain that the original perpetrators of our enslavement are still alive- despite the absence of a King.”

“Manipulations?” Percy asked. “I thought there was a war.”

“Yes,” Dobbin said, “but the war never would have been if the King had been able to name an Heir before dying. As it was, he died rather suspiciously in the midst of determining between two of his nephews that had managed to be born on the same day without anyone knowing which was first. The knowledge given to me in Death tells me that certain advisors wished to cut all contact with humans, while certain others were quite friendly with the mortal world- even going so far as to intermarry at times. Certain of the degradation of our ‘mighty’ race, these advisors got the ear of one of the nephews and incited in him the same disdain. Thus, war ensued and the victor King enacted the laws that resulted in his own son and heir betraying him and sealing the Realm.”

Where Harry’s eyes had narrowed in anger, Hermione’s were still confused.

“I don’t think I completely understand. Why didn't the King just name another Heir after he left? He was still alive wasn't he?”

“Ah,” Dobbin said, “Elvish politics is a bit simpler than that. The King’s firstborn son will always be his successor, only in the case of death for the Heir and there being no other son does the King have the right to name an heir. Also,” he raised his hand in a staying motion even as her mouth opened again, “since Elves live very long lives, it wasn't prudent for the Heir to wait for his father’s death to do as he wished. Instead, he took with him his birthright intact, and sealed the gate with it. Only his heir can undo it, and even though his father produced another son, that son has not the power Harry does. The King died, a century past, and the realm has since decayed to a greater degree.”

Hermione considered this. Surprisingly, it was Ron that next spoke.

“That’s all well and good,” he said seriously, “But you said the first King, he died suspiciously. How does a King that has all power over his subjects end up murdered by one?” His eyes hardened. “And how do we keep it from happening to Harry?”

Dobbin surveyed Ron. “That is a good question,” he said finally, “and it involves Elvish politics. Unfortunately, the higher up one is in the esteem of the King, the more able one is to supersede his wishes. That’s why I was so surprised when Harry so easily gave me favor. It gives me power, but it also takes some of his. It’s a fine balance, one that is not often crossed, thankfully.” His face grew slightly weary. “It makes the betrayal all the worse, for it takes one of quite high esteem to be able to plot treason. In this case, it was the King’s daughter that poisoned him. She was, unfortunately, quite taken with her cousin, the one that the King was about to decide against, and when he proved unwilling to change his mind, she murdered him. Of course, it did her no good. Once the battle was won, the cousin betrayed her part to the Realm and had her enslaved alongside the rest. It seems that he was unwilling to trust somebody so willing to kill her own father for a crown.” Dobbin sighed. “Being an elf does not ensure a higher moral ground than that of any other creature. And the answer to your question, Ron, is that Harry must trust only those that he would be willing to trust his life to, despite how much he may like somebody.”

Harry’s brows had risen to his hairline.

“Wait, wait,” he exclaimed, shaking his head furiously, “you mean I have cousins? That were house elves? How do I find them?”

Dobbin turned to Harry in surprise.

“Do you really wish to know?” He asked. “They are descended from the woman who killed her own father.” He seemed troubled.

Harry rolled his eyes. “You seem to be forgetting that it was my own ancestor that enslaved everybody.” He continued dryly, “somehow, that seems just as bad, if not worse.”

“Well,” Fred said, breaking the silence as everybody thought it over, “he’s got a point.”

Dobbin was unable to resist the tug of a smile.

“Well,” he said, “in that case,” he turned to Harry, “welcome back, cousin.”

He was not expecting the enthusiastic hug he received. Perhaps “hug” is a mild term. In any case, Dobbin found himself the unexpected recipient of an armful of preteen exuberance.

Nor was he expecting the motherly hug he received from Molly Weasley, whose eyes were brimming with tears.

In fact, it can be completely certain that he was not expecting the massive group hug that only Raizek and Snape refrained from.

No, no he was not expecting it at all.


	7. Not At All As It Seems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A King without a Kingdom, is he much of a King at all?

In a place where time is nonexistent and space irrelevant, a different set of Potters sat watching.

James Potter finally stood, leaving the side of the pool violently.

“James?” Lily called after him, worried.

He shook his head slightly from where he was now pacing distractedly. He ran his hands through his perpetually mussed black hair, and closed hazel eyes behind square glasses.

“I just-” words failed him momentarily as he looked up, moisture gathering in his eyes. He sighed deeply. “I would never lay my hands on my child, Lily, I’m sure of it. So why did I down there?”

“Oh, James,” Lily sighed, rising to her feet as well. “It’s as the Great One said, the circumstances are different, and no one can say what they would or would not do until faced with it.” She pulled his hands away from where he had placed them on his face. “We were never faced with twins, James, and Harry was never faced with the neglect of his parents. He suffered a lot from the Dursley’s, I know, but they weren’t his parents, so it didn’t change him the way that world was going to.” She pulled his forehead down to hers as she whispered, heart breaking in her voice as she tried to convince them both. “Just as our Harry would never have gone Dark, you would have been a wonderful father. And I, I would like to think that I would have been a good mother. One that doesn’t forget or favor a child above another.”

The two stood there for some time, holding each other as they tried to come to terms with the tumultuous emotions raging inside of them.

They soon returned to watching the scenes unfolding in the pool. As time had no meaning to the dead, they were able to pick up where they had left off, watching when they were able without fearing they were missing something important.

Back on the world they were watching, Harry opted to return to the manor as it was nearing dawn. Saying goodbye to his family, Harry left in the manner of the elves, and found himself back in his room.

Settling down in his bed, soft and downy, Harry fell into a deep sleep.

He was awakened the next day by Acacia bounding into his room and pulling herself up onto his bed.

He opened groggy eyes to look at her.

“Wassup?” He attempted, wondering what time it was.

“It’s past noon, Harry,” she said, worry deepening her eyes. “I came in before breakfast, but you were sleeping too heavily to notice, so I left. Are you alright?”

That wakened Harry all the way.

“Yeah,” he assured her, sitting up and yawning, “I just got caught up last night and didn’t fall asleep ‘til early morning.” He smiled at her and pulled her into a hug beside him. “I didn’t intend to worry you, baby sister, thank you for checking in on me.” She sighed and promptly snuggled into her side.

“I was hoping that we could spend some time together today. Dad’s taking Alex up on the broom today, says he wants him ready for the house team or something,” here she frowned slightly. “Didn’t the letters say that first years aren’t allowed brooms?” She looked at Harry, innocent confusion coloring her expression.

Harry smiled slightly. “It did indeed,” he told her.

“Then how could he be on the house quidditch team if he’s not even allowed a broom?” She seemed a bit indignant. “And honestly, you’re a much better flyer than Alex is.”

Harry laughed loudly, before telling her to shove off so he could get ready. He was still chuckling when he emerged, fully dressed, a mere ten minutes later.  
Acacia was waiting outside his door, patient and yet exuding an eager excitement. They spent the day exploring the grounds, Harry’s first time doing so since he arrived. The trip proved a bit nerve wracking for Harry at first, when he noticed that animals were quite bold in his presence, but, as it greatly delighted the bubbly Acacia and he could tell the animals meant no harm, Harry soon relaxed.

They were making their way back before darkness could fall, when a glowing white figure took its place beside them to Harry’s left, with Acacia on his right.

Acacia gasped in naïve wonderment, grasping Harry’s sleeve animatedly.

“Harry,” she breathed in excitement, “is that- is that a unicorn?” Her hazel eyes were wide as she took in the glowing creature.

They had stopped walking as soon as its presence had become known, and Harry studied the unicorn.

“It is,” he told her, cocking his head slightly as he looked at the being, “I’m not entirely sure why it’s come to us though.”

The unicorn snorted slightly, shifting on its hooves as it tossed it mane over its left shoulder as it turned its head to stare at Harry.

Harry was almost uncomfortably reminded of Luna’s somehow piercing blue gaze, remembering how she had always had a way of seeing what others did not.

“Right, well,” he amended, seeing the unicorn’s disapproval of his white lie, “I might have a bit of an idea.” Keenly aware of Acacia’s sharp-eyed attention, Harry continued quickly, “Was there something specific on your mind, my friend?”

The unicorn neighed musically, moving to continue walking, clearly expecting the two Potters to follow.

**It has become known to those of us in this realm that a new Elven King has arisen.** Harry felt the words in his soul. **We would like to swear allegiance once more. With a proper King, and with access to the otherworld again, our kind can flourish once more in ways that neither realm has been able to since the initial ascension of the current line of Royalty. It is our hope that the King is a good one in the old ways, and will soon reunite the two lands that have been severed for several centuries. As the symbol of purity and light, it was agreed that one of the Unicorn race would be the emissary of the magical creatures to the King.**

Harry was momentarily blown away. He had realized that as King of the Elves he would have access to some extraordinary powers, but he had not known that the magical creatures of the world fell under his jurisdiction. He was actually intimidated by the enormity of his task, and he wondered if he was actually up to it.

The unicorn snorted again and tossed its head impatiently, pausing for just a moment to give Harry a look that clearly asked him if he was out of his mind. As it continued on its way, Acacia stared up at Harry intensely, grasping his hand firmly in her own.

“Harry,” she said timidly, “is that why you have pointed ears now?” Her eyes were huge as Harry stopped violently to stare down at her in shock.

“You can-” He shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts. He knelt down in front of her, giving her the height advantage as they spoke.

Acacia smiled shyly before raising her right hand to brush back the hair on his left side, pulling slightly on the tip of the ear there.

“You were bigger last night,” she said simply, “and you said the Weasley twins grew you hair, but you said nothing about your ears. And Alex didn’t mention them, so I thought he must not know.”

Harry sometimes forgot just how mature Acacia was for her age, he suspected it was due to the strange perceptiveness she portrayed, just as Harry noticed details that tended to lead to death-defying adventures, Acacia had always seemed capable of seeing straight to someone’s heart. It was an ability that led to a degree of mental maturity that children Acacia’s age generally didn’t possess. In a way, Harry was almost relieved that he couldn’t deceive Acacia; out of all of the Potters present in this world, she was the one he was the most connected to.

“Yes,” he said gently, “it’s a long story, but the short of it is that I have discovered my place as the King of Elves and last night I freed the house elves from their enslavement.” He rubbed Acacia’s cheek fondly for a moment, feeling a slight tingle run through her at the point of contact. “And now that you know, you will come into your Elven characteristics, too, but only those that know of me will be able to see your ears or know the truth. Safety precautions, I’m afraid.”

Acacia gasped slightly as the magic continued to work on her. In a moment it was over, and Harry conjured a full length mirror for her to see herself briefly before they continued on. Slightly more slender and waiflike, Acacia’s eyes were her most noticeably changed feature. Aside from the pointed ears of their race, Acacia’s hair had become a much more vivid shade of red and her eyes- her eyes were no longer the hazel of their father and brother. Instead, her eyes were now a mesmerizing shade of lavender, as intense in their way as Harry’s own.

Harry chuckled slightly as Acacia studied her own appearance excitedly.

“It seems ears won’t be the only thing we have to hide on you,” he said, still laughing, “I’ll have your hair seem to grow brighter over the next few weeks, I think, but your eyes are going to have to be in the same category as your ears, I’m afraid. At least until you can feign getting teenage rebellion and pretend to get colored contacts or some such.” Seeing her confusion at the aforementioned contacts, Harry hurried on, “muggle invention, not sure how far along they are at this point in time, but we’ll figure something out by the time you turn thirteen, alright?”

Acacia pursed her lips slightly as she studied him, her eyes narrowing in concentration as she struggled with a difficult concept.

“You’re not just different because you became the King.” It was not so much a question as it was a statement of fact. Harry’s eyes widened; he hadn’t even considered what to tell her about that.

“I- yes, Acacia, there is a bit more, but can I ask you wait for that story until later? It’s a bit of a long one.”

She smiled brightly, childish excitement once more forefront, and she nodded, turning instead to pet the agreeable unicorn at their side. The unicorn nickered with obvious enjoyment at the treatment, before resuming its conversation with Harry.

**As I was saying, my Liege** The unicorn nuzzled Acacia’s hand as he spoke. **We of the creature world wish to once more declare our allegiance. Given what we can understand of circumstances, you wish to keep your ascension anonymous amongst certain parts of the population, so we thought it wise to ask when you would best be prepared to receive our declarations. What say you, my liege?**

Walking slowly, Harry frowned as he turned the matter over in his mind. On the one hand, it seemed that this was something that should happen as soon as possible, but on the other, he was unsure of how to do so without attracting unwanted attention. With a weary sigh, Harry called Dobbin to his side, sure that his Champion cousin would have the right advice for him.

Appearing silently at his side, Dobbin surveyed his surroundings as a knowing light settled in his eyes. Smiling gently, Dobbin bowed before the young girl, before crouching at her level as he greeted her softly.

“Hello, cousin. I see you have received your birthright. I am glad; Harry deserves to have at least one of his immediate blood know his secrets.”

Acacia’s eyes brightened in awe as she took in the tall Elven warrior.

“Cousin?” she asked, looking at Harry curiously. Harry grinned.

“Yes,” he said happily, “Dobbin is descended from the same Elven royalty as we are. But before we knew that, he was my friend.”

With a happy squeal, Acacia threw herself on the now only slightly startled elf, his arms automatically rising to hug her small body to him. Lifting her up with him as he rose, Dobbin settled the young girl on his hip quite easily as Acacia amused herself by playing with his brilliantly green hair. She pursed her lips slightly as she considered the light green tone of his skin.

Smiling lightly, Dobbin spoke to both Harry and the unicorn.

“I take it that you both are wondering what would be the best time to arrange a loyalty ceremony?”

Harry sighed faintly in relief. “Yes! I don’t suppose you have any ideas?”

“Why in fact, I do,” Dobbin said, eliciting a contented neigh from the unicorn and a grin from Harry. “In two nights time, the full moon shall rise. It is my thought, Harry, that you can convince your parents to allow you to spend some time with the Weasleys and you can all then make your way to the Great Gate, the main portal between the worlds. There, you can not only accept the allegiance of our allies, but you can restore the pathway between the two lands. I caution you however,” Dobbin said, his face growing a touch severe, “to make it so that none of the Elven land can cross over into this one without your permission. Until you present yourself to one and all, you must deny those there your favor and a greater freedom than they deserve. I ask you to allow me to search out those of this world that best suit your interest and I can send them through to assess the entire situation. If you make it law that none may harm them while serving you, then the task will be taken care of with no casualties.”

Harry looked faintly taken aback for a moment, before years of experience smoothed his face into a contemplative expression.

“Hmm,” he said, rubbing one hand along his chin as the other crossed his chest. “You’re right. Voldemort is indeed a problem here, but it could be a greater problem if denizens of the Realm proper managed to finagle their way here with some form of vengeance on their minds.” He frowned slightly, still thinking the problem through. “Even though I wish it could be different, it will take years for me to be able to trust anybody to the extent that I trust you, or even Raizek. Aside from you and Acacia specifically, the only ones I trust to truly be at my side are my family, the Weasleys. For all that they’re not blood, they belong to me, and I to them.” He exhaled in frustration, one hand weaving through his loose, long hair. “If only I had elves I could trust as much!”

The unicorn suddenly nickered in amusement.

**My lord, did you but know it, I think you will find yourself happily surprised quite soon.** The unicorn’s eye rolled in gentle amusement as it turned to look at Acacia still resting in Dobbin’s arms. **Now this one here, she shows great potential as an empath and possible Seer. She has a clear eye in more ways than one.** The unicorn nickered again as both Elven males showed surprise upon seeing the little girl’s newly green skin. **I can also see that those combined in her result in a curious and happy nature. I implore you to encourage that gift to blossom. So many instead allow it to wither away.**

Harry smiled softly to see his little sister embrace their strange heritage. Discarding the matter of elves and trust for the moment, Harry returned to the initial issue.

“The Great Gate?” he questioned Dobbin. “And is two days long enough for you to pull together the elves necessary? And I still need to settle the Hogwarts issue.”

Dobbin shook his head quickly. “Oh, no, I’ve already set Peri to the task of organizing those who wish to remain at the castle. For respect and the ability to set up homes in the Forbidden Forest, there are many who wish to continue taking care of the great castle, especially considering you and your family will be residing there at least partially throughout the years. I have also already considered many who would willingly cross the border back into Elivynea for you. There are many, you see, who will follow you for more than that you are our King. In freeing them, you gained their loyalty, and they wish to do all they can to serve you. Many, in fact, have already expressed their righteous indignation that many fawn over your brother, the false Boy-Who-Lived. They know, however, that you don’t wish that knowledge to be public, and will not do anything but quietly assure that none seek to harm you.” Dobbin’s eyes twinkled suddenly, reminding Harry eerily of a certain aged Headmaster. “As to the Great Gate, I believe those of this world commonly refer to it as ‘Stonehenge’.”

Returning to the Potter Manor an hour later, Harry reflected that perhaps this King thing wouldn’t be so difficult. Sure, ruling wasn’t really his thing (the Wizarding World had tried to push the Minister position on him more times than he cared to remember) but, he thought happily, walking steadily into the house carrying a no-longer-green Acacia, this time he had the ability to make many lives better and he would be able to do so with those he trusted by his side. His happy thoughts were disrupted as he entered the Hall, only to find his father standing sternly, seemingly waiting for him.

“Father?” Harry asked uncertainly, soothing a faintly waking Acacia with one hand.

“Harry.” James clipped. “Where have you been?”

Eyes widening in surprise, Harry wondered what was wrong. His memories of this time indicated that generally, his whereabouts went unquestioned. He hesitated as he answered.

“Acacia and I were near the forest’s edge, playing. We stayed well within the boundaries.”

James seemed rather agitated.

“Did it not occur to you that perhaps playing in the woods was a bad idea considering we had a house invasion not twenty-four hours ago?”

“Invasion? What’re you talking about? Dumbledore proved the elves weren’t bad-”

“The elf was immune to veritaserum!”

“No he wasn’t! And even if he had been, what difference would it make where we were? They would’ve been able to pop in or out here just as well as in the forest! Besides,” he added bitterly, “it’s not as if Alex were with us, and isn’t he the important one?” James’s eyes widened at that last, but Harry never realized because he had already turned away.

Storming away as gently as he could so as not to disturb his sleeping sister, Harry carried her upstairs into her bedroom. After he wandlessly switched her play clothes into her night wear, Harry was unaware of the bright green eyes watching as Acacia woke up just enough to pull Harry back down for a hug, at the same time whispering to him in tones more mature than she should be capable.

“Be well, my brother, the time comes that your star will rise, and when it does, all that believe falsely will know the truth.” Eyelids sliding shut again, Acacia’s chest moved in the gentle pattern of a child deep asleep, and Harry tucked her in, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead, a move much the same as he often did for his children and grandchildren in his previous life. He smiled, moving her bangs off of her forehead, still unaware of his small audience.

“Keep thee well, and keep thee safe, never knowing, just what we face. ‘Til death does come, and part us some, I’ll watch without end, ‘til thou art free, free as the wind.” Blinking slightly in startled disbelief, Harry wondered at the formulaic nature of his words. As he tucked his small sister in, he had been thinking about the fact that he would keep his loved ones safe, no matter what. Turning it over in his mind, he wondered if it had anything to do with his status as the Elvin King. Frowning, he pressed one more gentle kiss to her forehead before getting up to leave, still never noticing the presence behind the door before he left.

Downstairs in the study, James Potter sat, watching the fire as he nursed a small tumbler of firewhiskey. He didn’t turn around as he heard the door open and shut quietly, and it was difficult to tell if he paid any heed to the hurried steps coming towards him. He must have noticed though, because he didn’t appear at all surprised when his wife’s small hand tugged his larger one into hers.

“James, I just came from Acacia’s room. Harry was tucking her in and-” She cut off as James turned pained hazel eyes towards her.

“He doesn’t think he’s important, Lily.” His left hand tightened convulsively around the tumbler as he continued, disregarding the gasp his wife let out. “Our son, he doesn’t think we value him.” He turned his head in shame as he went on, his voice lowering to a pained rasp. “And I don’t know why.”

Lily bit her lip, that same faint feeling of unease of the day before rising up in her.

“I-” She started, “James, in Acacia’s room. I saw Harry put her to bed. James, he changed her clothes to pajamas without a wand! And she said something, something about ‘believing falsely’, and then he, I don’t know, he said something, it rhymed and he spoke of protecting her, and, and- James! His eyes glowed, I swear I’ve never seen them so green before!” Both of her hands now clutched his one frantically, the motherly instinct in her working to tell her that she, no they, had missed something of vital importance in their eldest child.

James looked equally troubled, but before he could respond, Alex came bursting in the room eager for permission to spend the night, two days hence, with the Longbottom boy, Neville, and despite the nature of their conversation, the habits of a decade past wiped clear their previous uncertainties as they returned their full attention to their most famous child. As disconcerting as their troubles concerning Harry were, they weren’t quite enough yet to completely dispel their deepest fear of losing one of their children to Voldemort. Too bad, because had they been able to see that they could lose any of their children at any time, no matter what prophecies have been made, then they would have sooner realized that they needed to divide their attention equally amongst their children. But, had they done so, this particular tale would no longer be.


	8. At Long Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A doorway to another world.

Before going to bed, Harry decided against going to the Weasleys again, wanting to avoid changing his sleeping pattern. Instead, he sent Hedwig with a note, shrouded in Elven magic to avoid detection, asking the Weasleys to send her back with a letter from Ron, asking his “new” friend to come stay, and one from Molly and Arthur, asking for permission from his parents. When he woke up the next morning, he readied himself for the day and went downstairs. Hedwig had as remarkable timing in this world as she had before, because no sooner had he seated himself at the breakfast table, then she flew in, two letters attached to her leg, hooting as Harry untied her burden and offered her a choice piece of bacon. Tearing eagerly into the letter addressed to him, he laid the other down beside him.

Reading the letter from Ron, he almost had to laugh. Ron was discovering the difficulty of acting an eleven year old, especially as he considered himself a full century and more older. Harry had to wonder how many pieces of parchment ended up incendio-ed before making the final cut. The final product read as this:

_Hey Harry!_

_I had a blast meeting you last night! It’s crazy that we’ve never met before, but I want to make up for lost time before we get to Hogwarts, y’know? You’ve got to come and play a game of Quidditch with us, and Mum seriously makes the best food! I know my house isn’t anything special, but it’s home, and Mum and Dad okayed you coming over. They’ve sent a letter to your parents, that’s what the other one from us is about, and I know you were saying you’d like to come visit, so here’s our chance! Man, I hope you get to come, the rest of the summer will be a bummer if I have to spend it with just the family. If your parents say you can come, just send your owl back and we’ll be ready at the fireplace. Don’t be late!_

_Your friend (soon to be best!),_   
_Ron Weasley_

_P.S. My sister won’t stop talking about you, I’ll try to shut her up while you’re here, but then again, that may not be necessary. Maybe she’ll get so shy, she won’t talk at all. Oh, Merlin, you’ve got to come now, Harry! I can’t deal with this much female chatter; you’ve got to be here to make her stop!_

Harry snickered at the slight dig towards Ginny. Probably she had been standing behind Ron as he wrote the letter, offering mostly unwanted input and thus the postscript. Harry was also reasonably sure that Ron had added that bit after his sister was distracted and then hurriedly sent it. The letter was more mature than the original eleven year old Ron would have written, but it seemed that Ron had decided to deal with that problem by applying enthusiasm.

As Harry read the letter from Ron, the rest of the family had come to breakfast and Harry quickly caught on to the fact that Alex would be flooing to the Longbottom estate soon after breakfast, where he would spend the next three nights. Hearing this, Harry assumed that his own visiting request would be met with equal acquiescence.

He waited until Alex had excitedly flooed off, and then approached his parents, letters in hand.

“Mum? Dad?” He was strangely nervous approaching them, but he quickly pushed the thought from his mind.

Lily turned to him, smiling as she did so.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“You know the Weasleys? The ones with the red hair at the party last night?”

“Yes, Harry, we know them. Why do you ask?”

“Well, it’s just, their son Ron, he’s my age you know, and we kind of hit it off and, well, here.” Harry offered the letter from Molly and Arthur.

Forehead creased slightly, Lily took the letter, opening so that she and James could both read it. James acquired a bit of a frown while reading it.  
Taking the letter from his wife, James spoke to Harry.

“Hmm, I don’t know, son. We haven’t spoken with the Weasley family very often in quite a while, and what with what happened last night, we didn’t really get a chance to speak very much with them last night either.”

Harry was shocked. Were they really about to refuse him after letting his brother (younger, he might add!) go traipsing off to the Longbottoms?  
“But,” he began quietly, “you let Alex go to his friend’s house.”

Lily felt that same sense of unease at the hurt she could see in her son’s eyes.

“But we’ve known the Longbottoms for ages, Harry,” she tried to reason. “We went to school with them and everything. Frank is an Auror with your dad and Sirius. It’s just not the same as letting you go off with people we barely know as acquaintances.”

“But you let them into your home,” Harry argued, his mind already churning over the possibilities if his family refused him. “And Mr. Weasley loves muggles so you know he’s not one of the bad guys.”

“Harry,” James began sternly, “it’s our right as parents to protect you from what we see as potentially dangerous situations. You should know better than to argue with us, son, we have only your best interests at heart.”

Harry looked at them both for a long moment and saw that nothing he could say would change their decision. Grimly, he turned his head and nodded before walking away, heading back to his room.

Locking the door firmly behind him, Harry pulled out his wand.

Calling forth Prongs, Harry just stood for a moment, basking in the love and warmth he felt in his Patronus’ light. Raising a hand, Harry lifted it to the gently butting head of what he knew to be the representation of his father. Not the one downstairs, but the one that had died for him, given his life for him, and who was waiting patiently again in Death for him. Harry allowed this to calm the raging hurt and turmoil in him, before giving the glowing stag a message.

“Tell the Weasleys this: Night of full moon set. Love you, all of you.”

Overtaken by calm, Harry began to plan methodically. What was the point of a century of experience if he didn’t bother to put it to good use? Reminding himself of the larger picture and the fact that he did have a family that understood and cared for him, he set to packing.

He had just finished, deciding only to pull enough outfits for a few days, when his only knowing family member of this world bounced in.

“Harry!” He turned, unable to help grinning as his bouncing little sister jumped into his arms. She surveyed the bag on the bed with an expression beyond her years on her small face. She smiled and stroked his cheek with a soft hand. “You have to leave, don’t you?”

His grin switched to a wry smile as he sat down on the edge, settling her on his lap.

“Well, there are things that I have to do. Things to keep people safe.” He brushed back her hair, remembering all the children he’d done the same for in his first life. It filled him with an even stronger resolve. Her small face crumpled slightly as she sniffed.

“I’ll miss you,” she buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing just a little.

“Hey, now,” he jostled her soothingly, “shhh… I’m not really leaving. I can come see you whenever I need to. And I’ll be leaving an elf friend to take my place. You’ll have fun with him, too. So much fun, I bet you’ll forget all about me even!” He tickled her, forcing a giggle out of her. “See? Think of it as an adventure. It’s not really any different than if I were already at Hogwarts, you know. And I’ll make sure to come see you then, too.”

She sniffed, rubbing her eyes in the manner of all children, before smiling up at him.

“You promise?”

He hugged her tightly.

“I promise. More than anything, I promise you.”

He soon released her with orders to go get ready while he took care of his arrangements.

Recalling his first night as King, he called a young elven male to him that grew up in Potter Manor. In the space of but a breath, the young elf he knew was now called Talyn appeared before him.

“Majesty!” The elvish preteen prostrated at his feet. “It is a great honor to be called to your presence!”

Hastily pulling the boy to his feet, Harry spoke quickly, wishing to stem the hero worship he knew was forming.

“You have no need to stand on ceremony at this moment, Talyn. Should you accept this task from me, you will be performing a great favor for me.”

The young elf’s eyes grew wide.

“Your Majesty knows my name!” He stuttered into a bow again, only to be pulled upright by Harry again.

“Talyn, be still,” Harry laughed, “I am your King, that’s true, but I live and breathe as you. Unless we find ourselves at Court, you may use my name. Actually, I insist!” Harry became more serious as he continued, “Now, come sit with me, I have a proposition to make of you, if you would be willing.”

Dealing quickly but not impatiently with his young subject, Harry apprised Talyn of the situation. At least, he told him that as King, his duties carried him to places that his parents could not yet know about, and, in order to avoid suspicion, he needed somebody to take his appearance around Potter Manor, that he not be missed.

Talyn, despite his initial excitability, was a quite capable and intelligent young man. Moreover, having been raised in Potter Manor, he knew exactly how the eldest Potter boy was treated, and knew, also, how to behave in a manner similar to Harry.

And since it was due to Harry that he could now grow up to a life of more than servitude, he was more than willing to serve his King in this manner.

It helped that he was closer to Acacia’s age than Harry actually was; Harry wasn’t entirely joking when he suggested that she might enjoy herself more with his replacement.  
Plan ready to be fully executed, Harry was unsurprised to find his sister letting herself into his room. He’d wave it off as lucky timing, if he hadn’t evidence of her special qualities already.

She looked a bit sad, even though she knew he would come spend time with her still, and hugged him as hard as she could before pulling back. She tugged him down until he knelt to her level again.

“You’ll be safe.” She kissed his forehead with childish enthusiasm. She then took his wrist very seriously, wrapping a unicorn hair thrice around it. Harry watched with awed curiosity as it glowed faintly before congealing into a thin, nearly invisible bracelet that he barely felt. She looked him in the eyes, lavender glowing into green. “Safety lies in family, and friends are family of the heart, if not of the blood.” She blinked suddenly, glow all but extinguished as she grinned, a child once more. She hugged him again, chattering about things she was going to show Talyn while he was gone.

As he gathered his bag up, he said his final goodbyes to them, pleased to be leaving them in each other’s company. Talyn was already wearing his face, excitedly planning a round of hide and seek in the house. Harry grinned in amusement as he waved, leaving with a silent snap of displacement.

It was with some relief he found himself once more in the Burrow. The tinges of disappointment and hurt left by his parents were soothed by the overwhelming feeling of love and warmth emanating from the Weasley residence. He had aimed for, and achieved, the field that made up most of the Burrow’s outside, wishing to resolve his churning emotions before entering the humble abode. Feeling once more at peace, Harry entered.

He came upon a domestic scene that he had not had the living pleasure of viewing in well over a century. Knitting and humming along to the Wizarding Radio, Molly Weasley cast a loving eye over her full family every so often, and thus was the first to see him. Her exuberant welcome to her son returning home caught the attention of the twins in the corner strategizing with Charlie, of Bill conversing maturely with his little sister, of Arthur and Hermione’s quiet discussion on merging muggle artifacts with magic, and disrupting the calm concentration of Ron and Percy’s chess game.

As he greeted each and every one of his closest family, Arthur’s steady hand came down on his shoulder.

“They denied our request, I see,” his gaze was as steady as his hand, howbeit there was silent empathy in its depths. At Harry’s downturned glance, he sighed. “I had worried of such; I had hoped the Potters of this world would match more the ones I’ve come to know and respect so greatly, rather than their past history in this world.” He placed both hands steadily on Harry’s shoulders, forcing the man-turned-boy to look up at him. “I know it hurts, son, but just remember that we’re here for you no matter what, and you know that without a doubt your parents are looking down on all of this right now, wishing beyond measure they could comfort you in this time with all of their love.”

It humbled Harry, these words of comfort from Arthur Weasley. For all that Arthur was a kind and fun-loving man, he so rarely bothered to speak his mind that when he did so, losing that earnest kindness and gaining instead a serious demeanor, one listened to him far more closely than one did to others given to weighing in indiscriminately.

“Harry?” Ginny’s hand touched his right arm briefly, her brown eyes concerned. “What’s happened?”

Harry smiled ruefully, forgoing the urge to cry in the face of the obvious care his chosen family showed.

“Ah,” he shrugged it off, “nothing much. Mum and Dad just refused to give me permission to come here.” He smiled somewhat painfully.

Molly’s eyes crinkled in consideration.

“Perhaps if we extended the invitation to your brother as well? Surely it wouldn’t be so difficult to keep him out of the loop,” she offered, worried about her only son not of blood.  
Even as the others voiced their agreement, Harry raised one hand and shook his head.

“I’m afraid not,” he sighed heavily, taking the chance to sit in an armchair. “Meaning no disrespect to you, but Alex is spending the next few days with the Longbottoms.” With this last, he bowed his head low over his bent knees.

Gasps of outrage met his ears, and various profanities were thrown around as the Weasley members registered the enormity of the Potter parents’ actions.

“Maybe we should pay a little visit to Potter Manor, dear brother,” Fred muttered darkly. “It would seem we have some business to attend to.”

“I do think it’s time we introduce this world to the pranking genius that created the most lucrative prank business of our time, you’re right, brother,” George mused thoughtfully. “I can definitely see a market for our rather special skill set.”

This exchange lightened Harry’s heart enough that he sat up straight and eyed them with wry amusement.

“I appreciate the offer, gentlemen,” he began, only to be cut off by Fred.

“Oh, we weren’t offering, dear little brother,” he said with a smirk.

“We were plotting,” George put forth.

“And Gred and I,” Forge added.

“Always manage what we set out to do,” they chorused together.

Grinning now, Harry just shook his head at them, aware that it was futile to try to talk them out of it. Instead he continued reassuring the family that he was really going to be just fine.

“Like I was saying,” he side-eyed the twins for a moment, “I’m not really, truly all that bothered.” At some of the looks and raised eyebrows he received, he amended his statement. “Ok, sure, I’m a little saddened by it, and it throws a bit of a wrench in our plans, but I’ve already dealt with that, and fine, maybe I’m a little upset that I can’t even enjoy my second childhood with my siblings, but, no. I’m fine. All I have to do is remember who my parents really are, and who my family really is.” He looked at the people he bore no blood relation to, but still considered his. “You guys. All of you are my family. And no parallel world will ever change that and nothing and no one can ever take that away from me.” He had no idea that his eyes began to glow emerald bright. “You are mine, and I am yours, and that’s how it will always be.”

With the suddenness of a cannon going off, everyone in the room save Harry staggered. Though no actual sound occurred, the effect was as though one had. Rarely does one ever encounter a sound so strong that it leaves a physical impression, but odder still is it to encounter the aftermath of such a sound without the sound to actually back it up.  
Hermione staggered upward with all of the grace of a drunken sailor, being one of the few to actually fall down amidst the magical pulse.

“What the bloody buggering hell was that about,” she wheezed out, hanging on to a barely steadier Ron.

 

It is of some importance to note that Hermione Weasley has never been one much given to profanity. In fact, it is safe to say that should one hear such profane mutterings leaving the mouth of one such as she, then perhaps one should sit up and take heed, for, pardon the language, as they say, shit has surely hit the fan.

Well in this case, the fan had certainly taken a few blows; however, it would conspire to have a far more desirable outcome than the situation would normally warrant.

Harry, left somewhat confused but otherwise unaffected by the supernatural blowout, was staring at them all in something very akin to awe.

Looking at them, he had what he considered to be a fairly decent idea of what exactly had happened. For to look at them was to see that they had changed.

Changed into Elves. Elves of highest standing.

“That’s what that bloody unicorn was alluding to!” Harry burst out as he charged to his feet. “Bloody hell!”

Harry began to laugh somewhat hysterically, overwhelmed by the feelings of joy and elation coursing through his veins. Seeing the Weasleys were still confused, Harry fought to calm himself to explain.

“Please,” he started, “I hope you won’t be upset, but it seems that my declaring you my family in such certain terms has indeed made you so. Not by blood, because nothing can change that, but of my heart and soul. You are my family on the most important level, that of love. And as the King of Elves, my declaration has made you as I am, Elven, and because I trust and love each and every one of you, you are, if I’m not mistaken, now a part of my Royal Council, my Inner Circle. You have power in my Kingdom, and the gifts that accompany my race.” His joy was slowly abating, however, as a small frisson of fear entered his heart at the thought they might not appreciate him changing them so permanently without so much as a by-your-leave.

Seeing her son, now in spiritual truth as well, begin to doubt his place in their hearts, Molly, the consummate mother, pushed her way towards him and pulled him into her arms. Since he was only eleven in body, he was still shorter than her despite his Elven inheritance.

“Oh, child,” she whispered to him, feeling him shake at the simple acceptance in her words, “you may not be of my body, but that makes you no less mine. Even before you married my daughter, I thought of you as one of my own. My love for you transcends this body. If Magic has made what love already deemed true a reality, never fear, my son; we will always be your family.”

As she spoke, the rest of the family gathered around them in a group hug, murmuring similar words of love and acceptance. It was there in the nucleus of their love that Harry broke down and cried. At first tears of sadness that he could not have this with those of his blood, but then tears of joy that he had these people, this family, in his life.  
The rest of the day was a blur as they prepared themselves for the evening ceremony set for the next day. Whereas originally the Weasley’s had been uncertain of their involvement, the fact that they were now high ranking members of Harry’s Inner Circle made their presence paramount. Not that any of them were complaining; indeed, all of them felt that much calmer about the proceedings because of it.

As the light of day began to fade, Dobbin appeared with a much appreciated gift. He brought beautiful and appropriate apparel for everyone to wear that night, a fact that brought the Weasley Matriarch to tears.

As she held on to her exquisitely wrought robes, gold designs embossed on white as an outer robe, the dress made to wear under it no less beautiful, though a plainer rich toned brown, with small touches of gold upon it, she couldn’t stop thanking the King’s Champion.

“Nonsense, Madam Weasley,” Dobbin waved off her thanks and protestations. “You are my cousin’s family, aren’t you? And as some of his most trusted advisors, it is only right that you be provided with clothing fit for royalty.” He smiled briefly. “It’s what you are now, anyway.”

Molly blushed, overwhelmed momentarily before setting aside her ceremonial garb carefully, a new and well known glint now in her eye.

“Well, it seems to me that that makes us family as well then!” And with an aggressiveness that belongs solely to motherly types everywhere, she took the now adopted and somewhat hapless elf with her, tones of imminent fattening coloring her every word.

The rest just looked at each other and laughed, also carefully putting away their special clothes before deciding to make the night merry in light of their growing family.

That decision was in fact a good one, in a way. As they were all elves now, it seemed that they suffered none of the normal hangover effects (and wasn’t it actually rather odd, seeing apparent children drinking wine and firewhiskey?) at least, not from the alcohol of the world they lived in.

In any case, they all had a lovely, good time which put the night quite late, one might think early morning even, before they wandered off to sleep. In some cases pass out, but, that, I think, is neither here nor there at the moment.

Ah, where were we?

Oh, quite right; the late night put them at a fresh start sometime after noon the next day. Which was rather handy, if you care to think about it, as it left them with solely enough time to thoroughly prepare themselves for their evening jaunt before said evening was upon them.

As it turns out, it’s a good thing they were so well-rested.

They apparated with just a bit of time to spare, unheeding of the Wizarding wards surrounding the mystic henge, landing instead dead center. Dobbin immediately led Harry to the center, so that he could be in place before others began to arrive, and the rest of the family broke up as they wandered around in awe of the magical gate.

“Well,” Hermione said, peering curiously around the ancient monument. “It certainly is nice to have something of an explanation for this place, now.”

“You mean you didn’t know that Stonehenge was actually a gigantic ancient portal to another world?” Ginny asked. She placed her hand on her chest in faux shock. “I’m terribly disappointed in you, Hermione, I thought you were better than that. Just what were you doing with your whole life that you didn’t stumble upon the truth. I tell you.”

Hermione laughed and shoved the younger girl lightly.

“Just like you noticed your husband was an elf, right?” She retorted, winking at her past/future sister-in-law.

Percy sniffed disdainfully from behind them.

“I should hope both of you will apply yourselves more usefully in this world. That neither of you reached either conclusion without needing to be lead to it is troubling, to say the least.” He sounded so serious that both girls gaped at him. His lips twitched minutely as he continued, “Perhaps this time around you will both pay more attention to what is so obviously right in front of you.”

Catching on, Ginny punched him in the arm, taking care not to muss his clothing.

She scowled at him playfully, saying, “Nobody said you could have a sense of humor, Perce; it’s detrimental to my health.”

Fred and George weaseled their way in between the two, smirking as they did so.

“Isn’t this precious, Fredge?"

“Family bonding? Of course, Gord! Why, my favorite bonding is at the expense of others.”

“Indeed?” The newly appointed Gord responded. “Why how convenient; so is mine!”

“Just how many names are you two going to come up with anyway?” Ron asked, exasperated as he wandered back over to their group. “Never mind,” he said, taking Hermione’s hand and leading her purposely to where Harry and the others were congregated. “It’s starting now, none of your foolishness while Harry plays with magic he’s barely even heard of.”

Harry’s head snapped around quickly as he picked up that last. His vibrant green eyes narrowed briefly, before a mirthful expression crossed his face almost too fast to comprehend. Ron felt a momentary sense of doom, but he shook it off, much as a dog does excess water.

“Also,” he continued as the rest arrived following him, “you do realize that those new nicknames just sound like a dodgy bit of fudge and a vegetable that nobody knows what to do with, right?”

If one goes by the expression on the twins faces from behind him, then whether or not they were previously aware of this, it goes without saying that they certainly didn’t appreciate hearing it from him. Ron remained blissfully unaware of the danger he was incurring upon himself.

“Alright!” Dobbin called them to attention. “The ceremony is a relatively simple one, thankfully. If I could have all of you to stand in a semi-circle a few feet behind Harry, I will stand at his side as his Champion.”

“It’s larger than you’d think, just looking at pictures,” Hermione admitted quietly as they moved into place. “You’d think with all of the stones in the middle, it’d be pretty hard to fit a lot of people in- wait a second, wasn’t there a rock right here when we first arrived?”

Harry glanced back at her from where he was standing on top of a stone that appeared surprising well-placed. He looked a little sheepish.

“I may have done a little rearranging,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his head. At Hermione’s instinctive look of scandalized horror, he rushed to reassure her. “I only put it back to where it was supposed to be! And it’ll still look the same to outsiders.”

As it was, their semi circle seemed to follow the path of the interior standing stones, creating something of an open space in front of Harry for which to pledge their fealty.

The moon was full and bright, and hung high above them now, signaling the beginning of the ceremony. As Dobbin had instructed them all the night before, it consisted solely of simple pledging in front of the King by members chosen to represent their race. The time and place were the trickiest part of the ceremony, and thankfully they had been closer to a full moon instead of on the tail end of one.

As though by magic (surprise!) the outside of the newly reinstated ring of stones was suddenly surrounded by shadowy figures and all of them had to steel themselves not to appear fidgety.

The ceremony began without pomp or fanfare, yet the Unicorn making its way through the stone archway directly opposite of Harry’s position felt as importance laden as a bride making her way down a long awaited aisle.

It felt as though an eternity occurred before the selfsame Unicorn of the woods two nights before knelt before Harry, and in that moment, it was no longer a boy who stood before them, but a true King.

 **It is as I said** the Unicorn’s words resounded brightly, joyfully **As the Ambassador of the Unicorn Race, I hereby pledge my fealty, my utmost loyalty and respect, to Harry James Potter, King of Elivynea.**

There was a moment where nothing seemed to happen, but then Harry’s eyes began once more to glow. He lifted his hand and reached out, placing it upon the Unicorn’s shoulder.

“Arise, my friend,” his smile was kind, “I, Harry James Potter, King of Elivynea, do hereby and forever after, recognize the Race of Unicorns as Friends and loyal members of the Kingdom, and, moreover, do hereby pledge to respect and honor in return.”

The unicorn rose fluidly to his feet, and gently nudged the King’s hand with his nose before turning gracefully around to return the way he had come. As he passed through his chosen archway, a subtle bell tone resonated, and the archway began to glow a soft white.

Ginny’s eyes were wide with wonder, and from her vantage point she could see some of the others were in like condition.

The ceremony continued, after the Unicorn a Phoenix passed through the archway directly behind them, and it flew along the inner pathway between the inner and outer rings once before making its way along the path to Harry.

Its pledge of fealty was the same as the Unicorn’s, only sung in beautiful and unmatched song that despite its lack of words fully conveyed its meaning.

The shocking part was when Harry responded in kind. Once the Phoenix returned through its own archway, it also began to glow, and another, different note of beauty sounding.  
And so it continued. Following the Phoenix, was the Goblin ruler, coming from the direct left. Offering up his mighty axe, a symbol of his people’s submission, Harry’s response was to return it with the message to use it well.

A myriad of magical creatures came and went, some upholding the pledge for many a kind, and some coming for a race of just a few. After the last had come and gone, the ring of Stonehenge mimicked the beauty of the full moon and the time had come for Harry to play his final party trick.

“My friends,” he called out, voice ringing easily to each ear, “though it has been a millennia since the realm of Elivynea was last opened, let tonight bring forth a new, and better era, as we return the balance of magic and **open the Gateway again**!” As he spoke there was a sense of gathering power, the quiet before the storm. “Let it be known that though the gateway may once more be open, until it is deemed safe, none without my express permission may pass from that realm to this one. Though freely may pass the denizens of this world, until fealty is sworn by those of Elivynea proper, only those bound by loyalty to me may travel between the realms. **So mote it be**.”

With his final command all of the differing notes of the archways began to play, creating a mass melody that ended with the roaring applause of all in attendance. The glow of the outer ring pulsed once at the melody’s peak and at its end withdrew to settle with all of its brilliance within the inner archway before which Harry stood.

With the ceremony at its end, everyone gathered together in an impromptu party, mingling with each other in ways they hadn’t felt comfortable doing in ages. The gathering was full of joy and mirth, all convinced of better days to come.

Harry was just ending a conversation with the very intriguing Sphinx that, unbeknownst to her, had, in another lifetime and another world, stood between him and an accursed trophy. He found it great fun to hold a secret that not even she could possess. She was one of many that he had spoken with personally already, some of whom had merely accompanied their chosen ambassador, and he was just thinking that he would need to find something to wet his dry throat when he froze.

Before him stood Remus Lupin, and, somewhat unbelievably, Tonks. They drew closer to him, their eyes bright with both joy and mischief.

“Harry, my boy,” Remus said quietly, glancing around. He pulled the seemingly young boy close and they led him to point outside the stones devoid of other celebrants. In a state of shock, Harry allowed them to do so, having not anticipated someone not of his world but known to him to find out his royal status. Make that two someones. Oh, dear. Family dinner was going to be so awkward next time around.

“So,” Remus said, clapping Harry on the shoulder, “it wasn’t enough for you to be the Boy-Who-Lived-to-Defeat-Voldemort, eh? You just had to top that one with King of Elivynea, didn’t you?”

Taken aback, Harry stared uncomprehendingly at the smirking couple.

“You never know,” Tonks joked with Remus, “next world he goes off to save, he’ll be Galactic Emperor or some such nonsense.” She winked slyly at Harry. “Now, Harry, what have you to say for yourself?"

Some force of excitement and exuberant joy began to bubble up inside the boy, causing him to vibrate with the knowledge implicit in their teasing repartee.

“You-I-how,” Harry was at a loss for words so he chose action in their place. He surged forward, catching them both slightly unawares, but happy for it, and the three hugged as though their lives depended on it.

**Author's Note:**

> If there end up being any minor discrepancies, it would be due to the fact that my last self-edits happened as I posted new content on ff.net. This time, my sister will be doing the honors, so hopefully I didn't change anything too much... O.o
> 
> If I ever pinpoint any such differences, I might go ahead and change it, unless I really like the newer version ;)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
